Emotional Warfare
by completerandomness12
Summary: Geeky Edward Cullen is dumped by his high school sweetheart...alone...in a parking lot...with an engagement ring in his pocket. To avoid looking pathetic at his parents' New Years celebration, he enlists the help of his beautiful, and mysterious friend Bella to pose as his girlfriend. Hilarity ensues.
1. Chapter 1

**EMOTIONAL WARFARE**

**By Completerandomness12**

**I don't own Twilight or any other Stephanie Meyer work (duh!)**

**I've been bored this week. So, I thought I'd get started on the 1st chapter of Emotional Warfare**

**Welcome dedicated readers and new readers as well. You all voted. Now, I'm introducing the first chapter of my new story. I'm doing something a little different. I hope you approve. **

**For all of you who aren't familiar with me, my name is completerandomness12. This is my third story. **

**Chapter 1**

**EDWARD**

"Now, for the Valedictorian speech, given by Edward Cullen," the Dean spoke into the microphone as I made my way to the podium.

"Hello and g-greetings, my fellow g-graduates," I stuttered as I pushed my glasses up my nose. "Don't worry. I w-won't keep us here all day. I'm p-pretty darn sure that most of you have a…soirée or s-something of that n-nature to at-tend, too," I added, to silence. They were supposed to laugh at that. Darn it.

"Um…we've come a long way in the past four years. Most of us didn't even know what we really wanted to do until we got here. Now, we consider ourselves future doctors, lawyers, business people, and so forth. I think I speak for everyone when I said when we go to college, most of what we learn is in theory, and when we graduated, it's with great expectations of ourselves and hope that we can change the world.

"The world will see those expectations as us being doe-eyed and try to beat that sense of hope out of us. But, I'm here to challenge you to keep that sense of hope, even if it's a little. Because if you do that, though you may not be able to change the world, you can make a difference. So, I say to this year's Harvard's graduating class, t-thank you and h-have a n-nice life," I finished quickly.

When I turned my back to sit down, I wiped the sweat off of my brow. The crowd did the customary polite golf clap that was appropriate as I made my way to my seat, shaking my head at the epic failure that was my speech.

That was deplorable.

Luckily, I got my diploma first since those who graduated with honors got their diplomas before the others. My 4.0 GPA was good for something. I guess. I didn't understand why. I mean, we were graduating from _Harvard_. We should have _all_ gotten honors. I looked at all of my supposed classmates and realized that I didn't know any of them. I guess they knew me, though. I was a Cullen. I got past the point of being shocked at the attention I got based solely off of my last name in the first grade. I sat in a daze, drowning out the sound of the microphone and watched my peers pass by.

Some looked at me in awe. Others looked at me in envy. Most of them looked at me with confusion. It was probably because of who I was, because I wouldn't consider myself to be a particularly attractive person. I had eyes that were too green. People always thought I was wearing contacts. It didn't really matter because I wore glasses, anyway. I was practically blind without them. My sister, Alice, had been trying to get me to wear contacts since I was fourteen. The thought of my finger going anywhere near my eyeball was gross. She tried to get me "sexy" frames, but I liked my thick frames. I thought they gave me character.

I was born with a crooked smile, which coined me the nickname "_**Stroke"**_ in middle school, because when people had strokes, their lips curled over. Let's not get started on my hair. When I didn't cut it, it stuck up everywhere like I had just touched a plasma ball. This forced me to use an obscene amount of hair gel every day to avoid looking like I was insane, which was a pain in the ass, in addition to growing my hair out to where you couldn't really notice the cowlicks.

I looked at myself in comparison to my family and wondered if I had been adopted…or my mother had had an affair or something.

My mother would have never done that. I was probably adopted and they just didn't have the heart to tell me.

"I now introduce to you the graduating class of 2011!" the Dean said, prompting everyone in the auditorium to throw their caps into the air. I gently tossed mine so I could easily retrieve it. The thought of catching another person's hat and wearing it terrified me.

I slowly made my way through the crowd before the small creature known as my niece jumped on my back.

"Ahh!" I crouched over, letting her hop on.

"Is that any way to greet your niece?" my sister, Alice, asked, trying to run her hand through my hair. Her face quickly turned to horror as her hand became covered in hair gel. She wiped it on the graduation program. "Edward, we've got to talk about you putting all this shit in your hair," she rolled her dark blue eyes.

"I love you, too, little sis," I kissed her on the cheek and ran my hand through her short black hair.

Alice, my twenty-year-old little sister, was what I liked to call a force of nature. Being the baby in the family, she was used to getting what she wanted without delay. However, she was never going to get me to let her have control over my wardrobe. I liked my sweater vests…and my hair gel…and my glasses.

"Hey, Uncle Eddie! You did good!" my niece said, bouncing on my back. She was the only person in the world I let shorten my name in any capacity. She was just that cute. All Hell broke loose in our social circle when Alice got pregnant at fifteen. However, instead of getting an abortion, she decided to keep her baby. Now we had Alexia Karen Whitlock, who might have been the most adorable little person ever. "You smell like Skittles," she giggled before her father picked her up.

"Hey, man," Jasper said, giving me a guy hug.

"Edward, honey!" my mom shouted from nowhere, engulfing me into a hug. "I was so proud of you, sweetie. You spoke so well"

"Well done, Son," my father clapped me on the back while starting to move us toward the parking lot.

"Don't lie, Dad," I pleaded, "We both know it was horrible"

"That's subjective," my mom replied, hugging me from my side.

"Where's Emmett? And Tanya?" I asked looking around.

"Ugh," Alice rolled her eyes and shivered, "I don't know what you see in that b…"

"Alice!" I hissed in warning, "Don't talk like that about Tanya. You know I don't like it."

"I wasn't gonna call her a bitch," Alice deadpanned. "I was gonna call her a BARBIE DESTROYER!" she hissed.

"Here we go again," dad sighed, going to get the car.

It was no secret that Alice and Tanya didn't like each other. To be honest, I think Stevie Wonder could have seen it. It all started when Alice was six and Tanya was seven. My sister had a liking, or others might have called it an obsession, with Barbie dolls. She called Barbie the first legitimate fashion icon. When our great-grandmother passed away, she left Alice a vintage 1955 Barbie, which was in mint condition. You know the one, with the black and white swimsuit. It was still in the box, which tripled the value or something like that. I was not into collectibles.

It was one of the happiest times I had ever seen for my sister. She claimed that she would never unwrap it. Alice claimed that Tanya took her vintage Barbie out of the box _on_ _purpose_. Tanya claimed she thought it was just a regular doll and wanted to play with it. It ruined the doll's value and Alice threw an Olympic-sized hissy fit. Names were called. Pigtails were pulled. Tanya even said that Alice had tried to strangle her. They hadn't been able to be in the same room with each other since.

"It's not 'what do I see in her,'" I smiled, "It's 'what does she see in me?'"

Tanya Denali. I'd known her since we were practically in diapers. She was my best friend…my only friend, really. She was smart and pretty.

Really pretty.

Really, really pretty.

Really. Her face was just…perfect. She had this amazing strawberry-blonde hair and always smelled like vanilla. I hated to seem like I was not a gentleman, but her body…wow. I had absolutely no clue what she saw in me. I could tell people thought the same thing whenever they saw us together because she was so pretty and I was so…not pretty. But I was glad that she at least saw something. This was why I was planning on proposing to her tonight…in front of both of our families.

"Now that we're talking about it, you could do so much better," Alice said nonchalantly.

"No, I can't," I shook my head.

"Of course you can, Edward!" she yelled.

"Her cat is mean to me," Alexia chimed in, rubbing the spot on her arm where Tanya's cat had badly scratched her last year.

"I don't want anyone else. No one is better than Tanya," I hardened my resolve. "Where is she?"

"I don't know," dad said looking around. "They're probably on their way to the restaurant. They sat with us during the ceremony."

Our families knew each other because my father and Alec, Tanya's father, were best friends and frat brothers. My mom and Heidi, Tanya's mom, were college roommates. They met each other at a party and the rest was history.

"We need to get going. Our reservations are for six o'clock," dad said.

"Six o'clock?" Alice shouted, looking at her cell phone. "I have to go change! I'll meet you guys there." She took off, rushing through the parking lot and I heard the sound of tires screeching moments later.

"I'll meet you guys," I said, shifting my suit before wiping my glasses off.

"Okay," dad nodded, taking my mother's hand.

"Baby, I'll ride with Edward," mom said smiling at me, "We have things to talk about."

"See you there then," dad said confused.

She linked her arm through mine and we started to walk to my Volvo XC60. My siblings and Tanya teased me when I requested a Volvo for a car instead of a Porsche, Mercedes, or other high-end car. I even considered it. But once I read about the safety features on this Swedish beauty, my heart was captured.

"Edward, honey, I'm so happy," she said as I drove off. "I'm so proud. My son was valedictorian at Harvard. Your grandpa would be so proud, too," she smiled.

"Thank you, Mom," I replied. "You don't think he'd be disappointed because I'm not going into the family business?" I asked scared. I knew I could always count on my mother to tell the truth, even if it hurt.

"Sweetie," she laughed, "In case you haven't noticed, none of your siblings have shown any interest in it, either."

She was right. Alice went to school in New York for fashion while Emmett…well, he was just Emmett.

"It's just…don't you think at least _one_ Cullen should…"

I was one of the heirs to let's say…a _very_ popular company. Yet, none of us wanted to take the reins. If she asked, though, I'd drop med school and endure it.

"That's what your father's for," she interrupted me. "You should be excited. You're going to medical school to be a doctor," she grinned, looking out the window. We rode for a couple of seconds before she started laughing. "Only in _this_ family would a child feel ashamed or guilty over going to med school," she shook her head and took my hand. "It's okay, Edward. You have better things to worry about. Tests, studies, dissections…"

"Marriage," I mumbled smiling.

If it had been possible, I would have sworn I felt my mother's hand go cold.

"What?" she deadpanned before slowly turning to me.

"I said marriage," I smiled. "You know I love Tanya, Mom," I giggled excitedly.

"Maybe after med school…and your residency…and…"

"Tonight," I confessed, pulling into the parking lot. "I'm gonna asked her tonight."

"With what ring?" mom asked, cocking her head to the side. "You know Emmett is first in line for Mama Masen's ring. He's the oldest…"

"I know," I nodded my head, going into my glove compartment to retrieve the small robin's egg blue velvet box. "I got it last week," I confided as she opened the box.

I had been planning on giving Tanya a new ring, anyway. When I had brought up my Mama Masen's ring to her a couple of months ago in conversation, she went on a ten-minute tirade about how ugly the ring was. Personally, I thought the ring was simple and elegant, but Tanya liked much more flashy and sparkly things.

"Oh," she said deflated.

"I'm sorry I didn't talk to you first," I sighed. "It's just that Emmett is in LA and Alice is in New York. Then, you and dad are in Connecticut. I feel like we never see each other. I wanted to tell you sooner."

"Oh," she said again, running her hand over her chest. "Don't you think you're a little young?" she asked, closing the box and handing it back to me. "You're only twenty-two years old," she reminded me, trying to smooth back a rogue piece of my hair.

"You and dad got married when you were twenty-three," I retorted quickly, taking some gel from my glove compartment to smooth out the hair.

"That was a different time," she replied just as quickly. "Things are different now. More is expected of young people nowadays. I just…"

"Mom," I interrupted, "I understand where you're coming from. I do. But I know what I want, okay? You always told me how smart I am. I don't think this is wrong. I love Tanya…like how Dad loves you. I want to spend my days with her," I said looking into her eyes. "Please, support me on this," I begged. "I already know Alice is going to tear me a new one when I tell her."

"Fine," she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'll try," she smiled halfway before getting out of the car.

I looked at the clock to see that it's 5:05 PM. I felt horrible for making everyone wait for me. But, our conversation took longer than previously anticipated.

"Uncle Eddie!" Alexia screamed, running over to me. "I wanna sit by you. Okay?"

"Sure," I smiled at her and picked her up.

"Look what we have here," Uncle Alec joked, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "The punctuality king made everyone wait a whole five minutes. You all right there, boy?" he asked, feeling my forehead.

"Yes, Sir" I smiled, sitting down. "Where's Tanya?" I asked.

"Uh…she'll be here, Eddie boy," Heidi said, looking out the window, most likely in search of her daughter.

"God forbid Tanya can't make it," Alice griped, handing Alexia a cookie.

I sat down and ordered a Coke while we waited for Tanya and Emmett to get here.

"Edward," Alec got my attention, "Why are you wasting your time going to med school when you have a job that any man would kill for right at your disposal?" he asked, taking a sip from his brandy.

"Alec," dad warned, shaking his head.

"We're all wondering that, actually," Heidi piped in. "I mean, you're a Cullen. I get why Emmett or Alice wouldn't do it. But…"

"What are you trying to say about Alice?" Jasper spoke up, his eyes staring daggers at Ms. Denali.

Jasper Whitlock was one of the most laid-back people I knew. He came from oil money in Texas. He met Alice when they went to the same prep school. I'd known him for the past five years. We got close when Alice got pregnant. He was practically family now. My niece couldn't have had a better father.

"Calm down, Whitty," Alec waved him off. "It's just that you're practically made for the job. I don't see why you're wasting your potential by becoming a doctor."

"Since when did becoming a doctor become wasting potential?" I asked astounded.

"Let's be honest, Edward," Heidi said, looking over the menu, "Being a doctor would be a sublime achievement…if you were _middle class_," she finished the sentence with an air of disgust. "However, don't you think it pales in comparison to being a CEO of a Fortune 500 company? Seven figure salary…corporate jet…private island…you know."

I loved Tanya. But I hated her parents.

"We're _Cullen's,_" Alice accentuated our name. "That's guaranteed regardless of what occupation we have. We don't base our value as a family member on our job description," she said tightly through gritted teeth.

"Uncle Edward, what's an occupation?" Alexia whispered in my ear.

"It means a job, sweetie," I smiled at her. She nodded her head as if she was giving us the okay to complete our discussion.

"Can we _not_ discuss this here?" dad asked sternly. "This is more of a private…_family_ matter," he said sitting down.

"Gosh!" Alex rolled his eyes, finishing off his brandy, "All of this because of a damn question."

"I must have hit a nerve," Heidi raised an eyebrow.

"Pfft," Alice rolled her eyes. "As if you'd ever…"

"Uncle Emmy!" Alexia screamed, reaching her arms up for my brother. "Aunty Rose! Megan!"

"Lexi Bear!" my brother screamed as he started running in slow motion…complete with slow motion sounds.

"Run regularly," my niece giggled as she started to wave her arms at my other niece, Megan, who went to hug Alexia.

Emmett was my older brother. He was built like a mountain with the maturity of a kindergartner.

"Okay," he said as he scooped her up. "Hey, little Bro," he fist pounded me. "I heard the speech killed."

"We're sorry we couldn't make it, our meeting ran late," she said apologized as Em passes Alexia to her.

"It's okay," I said. You only graduated college for the first time once. What was the harm in missing it?

"Hey, Uncle Eddie!" Megan kissed my cheek. "Did you miss me? I missed you! Lots!" she said, hugging me neck.

"Of course," I hugged her back.

"Okay. I just wanted to make sure," she said before taking a seat on my lap next to Alexia.

"Emmett," Heidi purred. "Rose," she deadpanned.

"Heidi," Rose reciprocates the tone.

"Where's the food?" Em asked sitting down next to Rose. "I'm hungry as Hell."

"Emmett!" mom hissed, and Megan and Alexia started giggling.

"Children are here," Rose added before smacking his head.

"We haven't ordered yet," I told him, sipping some water.

"Tanya isn't here yet," Alice added.

"She's probably doing something important," I told Emmett.

"So? Let's order without her. It's been an hour and a half," Emmett complained.

"_You_ just got here," I pointed out.

"I know. And, I thought there'd be food already present when we arrived," he retorted, looking at the menu.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Cullen?" a woman tapped my sister-in-law on the shoulder.

"Yeah?" Rose said, turning toward the woman.

"After I had my son, Colin, I did your Baby Butt Blaster tape twice a week for three months straight. It changed my life. I'm in better shape now than I was before the baby," she said, shaking Rose's hand. "Thank you."

"Oh, you're welcome," Rose smiled.

"And you," the woman pointed to Emmett, "My husband does your Monkey Man video. His abs are to die for," she grinned widely, shaking Emmett's hand. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Emmett smiled. "We're glad it works for you."

Emmett and his wife, Rosalie, were what some would call fitness gurus. They had their own line of exercise tapes, workout equipment, power bars…you name it. Rose was called "The Skinny Bitch" and Emmett was called "The Monkey Man" in their promos. It had been pretty lucrative for them so far.

"We're having a get-together," Heidi sneered at the woman, "if you don't mind."

"Oh, I'm sorry," the woman apologized.

"I'll bet you are…" Heidi started.

"We're here," Tanya said as she entered with her two sisters in tow.

"Sweetie," I sighed, going up to greet her, but she stopped me.

"No, Edward! My nails are still wet," she whined, waving her hands to show her point.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, sitting down meekly.

"You're late, Tanya..." mom started.

"Sorry," she said dismissively, taking a seat next to me.

"You were late because you were getting your nails done?" Alice asked, shaking her head.

"It was the only time Henrique could squeeze me in. He's too amazing. I couldn't pass that up. Edward knows I'm sorry. Don't you?"

"Mhmm," I nodded my head.

"Then, I had to pick up Irina from her hair appointment. Then I…"

"Left Kate to rot at her apartment because you _had_ to have us arrive as a threesome," Kate interrupted, rolling her eyes.

The Denali's, like the Cullen's, had three children. Irina was the oldest with jet-black hair and grey eyes like her father. She basically travelled for a living. I had no clue what she did. Tanya was the middle child, like me, and the spitting image of her mother. Then there was Kate, the youngest child and black sheep of the family. She was currently studying Art at Cornell and now had an entire arm full of tattoos and a piercing on her right eyebrow.

"Jesus, Kate," Heidi hissed, pulling her daughter's sleeve up. "Is that _another_ one?" she asked in disgust.

"Yep," Kate said proudly, taking the piece of gauze off of her arm, "Just got it this week."

"Oh, shit," Alec mumbled before taking a sip from his flask.

"Wanna see?" Kate asked, walking around the table and showing us the newest addition to her artwork.

"Oh, my God, it's fabulous!" Alice giggled, some of her water spitting out of her mouth.

"Kate for the win!" Emmett laughed, taking a picture of the tattoo with his phone.

"Wow," I said dumbfounded when I got a chance to look at it.

It was a picture of the globe spinning on a woman's middle finger with the caption, "Fuck the World," written under it in script. It was definitely…Kate.

"How are you supposed to land a decent husband looking like that?" Heidi hissed, pointing to her tattoos.

"Yeah, that's my problem…because it's 1950," Kate rolled her eyes, making it back to her seat.

"Can you _not_ sit next to me?" Tanya growled with a serious face and tone. "I don't want anyone to know that we share the same bloodline."

"Tanya!" Esme said shocked.

"She was just joking, Mom," I defended.

Not everyone got Tanya's sense of humor. What most people thought was her being mean was just her dry sense of humor so it came across as her being serious.

"Bitch," Kate spat, taking a seat next to Esme.

"_Mrrreorw_," I heard the unmistakable sound of Tanya's cat from her bag.

"Tanya," Alec shook his head, "Tell me you didn't…"

"Relax," she interrupted, putting her purse on her lap. "I couldn't leave her by herself. She'd get lonely," she cooed to Diva, her evil feline sidekick. Diva was a Siamese demon that hated everyone except Tanya. I would swear Tanya bought her a new jeweled collar every other week. I'd bought her a couple, too, because, well…Tanya asked me to. "Diva wants some filet mignon, maybe some caviar? Don't you, sweetie. Yes, you do. Then, Edward is gonna buy you that nice diamond collar you saw at Bloomingdales," she talked to the cat as it hissed and spat from the inside of her purse at me. "Won't you, sweetie?"

"Uh…okay," I shrugged my shoulder.

Being in my position, I had a lot of money. I didn't see anything wrong in spending it on behalf of the people I loved.

"Oh, God," Alice shook her head, while Jasper rubbed her arm.

"Alice," Irina said, pointing to my sister's purse, "I love that bag…it's to die for."

"Thank you," Alice smiled at the compliment. "It cost about as much as a vintage Barbie nowadays."

"I was waiting for you to bring that shit up," Tanya rolled her eyes as Diva hissed in Alice's direction.

"Excuse me, Ma'am," our server came to the table and tapped Tanya on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, but pets aren't allowed inside the restaurant."

"So…?" Tanya questioned incredulously.

"It has to go."

"She's not gonna shit on the table," Tanya waved the server off. "It's fine."

"I could get in…"

"Listen," Heidi interrupted smiling, "You look the other way and I'll give you a _really_ big tip," she finished before Tanya turned around and put some water in a bowl for Diva to poke her head out and drink.

"But…"

"A really, _really_ big tip," she said raising her brow.

After that, we finally got to order. Dinner was a pretty quiet affair. No one really felt like talking after the food came. Once we were finished, mom ordered me away from the table so they could get my surprise in order.

I took the time to run to my car and get the ring from the glove compartment. I walked back up to the building to see Tanya standing outside talking on her phone.

"I'm almost finished. We're gonna cut the cake, then I'm outtie," she said, turning around to see me. "I'll pick you up later," she said awkwardly before hanging up.

"Who was that?" I asked, hugging her from behind and kissing her.

"Stop it, I just got my hair done today," she said, straightening her hair. "That was...um…my friend, Lauren. Yeah, she wants to hang later."

"Oh," I said, "Although, I'm not sure if you're gonna want to hang out after."

"Oh, I'm sure," she giggled, rolling her eyes.

"Okay," I held out my arm for her to take.

"Fine," she huffed, linking her arm through mine.

"Are you okay?" I asked her. "You aren't acting like yourself."

"I'm fine," she said as I begin to walk her to the door. "Actually…" she started again, separating herself from me, "I'm not fine."

"What's wrong?" I asked touching her head. "Are you sick? We can leave if you want, I don't really like parties. This was more for my mom, anyway," I offered.

"It's not that," she said, covering her eyes with her hands. "I just…I can't do this anymore," she groaned.

"Do what?" My fear increased with every second she didn't answer me.

"This…us," she said, waving her hand between us. "We need to see other people, Edward," she finished, looking away from me.

"Huh?"

"I'm breaking up with you, Edward."

What? I couldn't be hearing this right. She wouldn't do this to me…not to _me_. I was her best friend. I loved her. She loved me. We were meant to be together.

"B-but…I-I love you…"

"I know," she interrupted. "That's what sucks about it."

"I d-don't understand, Tanya."

At this point, I saw that my glasses were fogging up and I felt the tears starting to run down my face.

"Fuck, don't cry," she reached a hand to pat my shoulder. "You're gonna make me feel bad."

"I-I-I c-c-can't help it," I whispered, willing the tears back. I didn't want everyone to see me cry. I'd do that in the privacy of my apartment. "We're Edward and Tanya. We've always been together."

"That's why," she told me, slowly backing away. "We've always been together. I want to experience different things…different people. Maybe after…"

"I don't want anyone else. I want you," I whimpered, walking forward. "Tell me what to do. I can make it better. I can be better," I tried to convince her. "Please, Tanya."

"Edward, don't beg," she backed away further. "I'm…I'm sorry," she said before turning and walking away, getting in her car and driving off…leaving me in the parking lot, heartbroken with a useless engagement ring in my pocket.

I leaned against the car nearest to me for God only knew how long and processed what had just happened.

Tanya had dumped me.

She didn't want me.

I was not good enough.

I would be alone forever.

"Edward?" I heard Alice come outside, looking for me. I must have been out here for a long time. "What are you doing out here? We're waiting on you guys. Emmett's gonna have the first cut of the cake if you don't come back soon," she added, walking to the parking lot and waving me over. "Where's the _lovely_ Tanya?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

At the mention of her name, I lost what resolve I had left and my shoulders began to shake with the sobs I'd been holding back for the past thirty minutes.

"Alice," I whimpered, covering my face with my hands to hide the shame and abandonment I was feeling.

"Edward?" she asked, coming closer. She came to stand in front of me. "That bitch" she said, reaching her arms out for a hug.

"Don't pretend like you aren't happy," I said as I shrugged my arms away from her. I didn't want her pity. She didn't even like Tanya, anyway.

"I just…"

"Edward?" I saw my mom come out to look at us. "What's wrong?" she asked frantically, moving faster to see what was bothering me. "Sweetie, what happened?"

Before anyone else could see the mess I'd become, I ran to my car, climbed in still sobbing, and drove away into the night.

**It sucked getting dumped, didn't it? One time, an ex-boyfriend gave me a Kit Kat after he dumped me. It used to be my favorite candy bar. Now, I can't look at one without getting pissed off. **

**I hope you guys liked it. I'm not really good at writing sad stuff so I normally keep it to a minimum. Did I capture the pain of the breakup good enough? I wanted to set a little backstory about Edward, his family, and Tanya before I introduce Bella. We'll meet her next chapter. She's a little…different. I hope you like it. It's always hard starting something new. **

***I promise I haven't forgotten how to be funny. I've been thinking of stuff for this for the past six months. I'll bring it***

**What's the worst time you've been dumped…or dumped someone?**

******Pics regarding this story are featured on my profile******


	2. Chapter 2

**EMOTIONAL WARFARE**

**I don't own Twilight or any other Stephanie Meyer work. **

**Thanks for the reviews on chapter one.**

**Once I finish The New Girl, I'll post the HA sequel and my other story. It's called Long Time No See: **_**Bella Swan is a famous author. Her books are known as the voice of a generation. After a nasty divorce, she goes back home to clear her head. She reconnects with her high school…whatever…Edward Cullen. Too bad everyone she knows from her hometown hates her because she based her books on their secrets. **_

**Chapter 2**

**EDWARD**

_Damn. That was a REALLY wild night—emphasis on wild. Shout out to Riley Biers for an awesome night._

I sat in my pajamas, looking at Tanya's status on Facebook. This was what I had been reduced to. I didn't even like Facebook that much. I looked on my picture-less profile only to see the little amount of friends I had and became even more depressed than I already was. I knew it was sad, but it was me. I flipped through her most recent photo album to see various photos of her having fun or hanging on some random guy. I felt my heart rip with every view.

Four months. Four long months. It had been four long, agonizing months since she had left me…in the parking lot…alone…at my graduation party. So far, these had been the worst four months of my existence. Yet, she was there, going to parties and kissing different men. This wasn't the person she was. Why was she doing this? I'd spent the majority of this time thinking about why she would have done this to me. Did I not love her enough? Was it because I was ugly?

I looked through her pictures and saw the guys she was hanging out with. They were all the same type: Tall, tanning-booth bronzed, all-American preppy frat boys with their polo's, khakis, and backwards visors. Was that the kind of guy she wanted? I was not like that—not at all. I was pale, geeky, and a nerd. There was one particular guy that was in a lot of her pictures. I looked through at the pictures of them and wondered, "Is that Riley Biers? Does she love him? Does she love him more than she loved me?"

_*pop!*_

I heard a popping sound from my computer, signaling me that someone wanted to chat with me. Hmm. That had never happened before. I looked to the screen and smiled at the name that popped up.

**Tanya Denali: **_What's up?_

Oh, my God. It was her. She wanted to get back together. I knew she still loved me.

**Edward Cullen: **_Not much._

I eagerly replied and sat at my screen, waiting for her to message me back.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

What was taking so long?

**Edward Cullen: **_Tanya? Are you there?_

I typed a message, just as my cell phone rang. I quickly answered. It was rude to keep people waiting, especially when you had nothing else to do.

"Edward, it's your mother," Mom announced herself. She always identified herself as "your mother" when she called me. It was weird. "I was just wondering how you're doing. I miss you."

"I miss you, too, Mom," I told her as I hit the enter button, sending my message. "I'm fine."

"Are your classes going okay?" she asked. "I know med school can be tough."

"It's good, Mom," I said again, this time rolling my eyes. "So far, I have an 'A' in every class. You'd be proud."

"I'd be proud of you regardless, sweetie. You work too hard," she laughed. I could tell she was smiling. "Are you eating, Edward?" she asked, getting to the point.

"Yes, Mom."

"Don't lie to me, boy," she ordered. "You looked like a skeleton when you left. I don't want what's happened between you and Tanya to affect your health. I need my Edward healthy."

After Tanya had dumped me…in the parking lot…alone…during my graduation party, I lost some weight. I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep. It was not as much as mom made it out to be. It was only like fifteen or twenty pounds. Now, she was calling me every day since I'd gone back to school six weeks ago to make sure I ate.

"I ate, Mom," I told her as I stared at the empty bowl from the cereal I had finished before getting on the computer. "I promise."

"Fine," she relented. "I'm just worried, honey. That's all."

"I'm fine, Mom," I lied, scrolling through Tanya's profile pictures. "I'm better."

"Okay," she huffed. "I miss my babies. I remember when I brought you home from the hospital. Now, you're in graduate school," she sighed. "I can't believe I won't be able to see you until next year."

"It gives us time to miss each other," I joked before looking at the clock. "Mom, I have to go to class," I told her. "I'll call you later. Okay?"

"I'll hold you to it," she smacked a kiss to me before hanging up the phone.

I grabbed my books and my backpack to head to class. Before I left, I checked to see if Tanya had replied to my message.

_Tanya Denali is now offline._

"Damn," I muttered as I left my apartment to drive to school.

My day went by quickly today, leaving me to meet with my partner in the library to work on an Anatomy project that was due in two weeks. He was in my group for the first mini assignment I had to do in Biochemistry. He didn't do much. Plus, he was ten minutes late.

Where was he?

"Ouch!" I heard a female voice yell, followed by the sound of books falling. It distracted me from the paragraph I had been reading. "Unless you're going to help me up, stop staring!" the voice yelled. "Ooh…I'm sorry," the voice whispered this time…loudly.

This was a _library _after all.

"What's up, Aaron?" Mike, my partner asked, taking a seat across from me. "Nice hair," he laughed, patting my stiff locks.

"It's Edward," I deadpanned, before taking out the criteria for the assignment. "How are you feeling?" I asked. We were supposed to have met last Friday. Mike got a headache and couldn't come.

"Huh? Oh…fine. My stomach feels a lot better" he smiled.

"That's great," I told him, thinking it strange he would mention his stomach when it had been his head that had been the issue. "I was thinking it'd be unique if we…"

"Edward?" Mike asked, interrupting me.

"Yeah?" I answered, getting my highlighters and notecards out of my bag. They made studying so much easier. I loved them.

"Look. I have a…date…tonight. Would you mind if we took a rain check?" he flashed a broad smile.

"It's only four o'clock," I told him, pointing to the clock above his head. "The outline is due tomorrow."

"Dude, would you mind covering for me just this once?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

"But…we haven't even started. I'll have to do it all myself. It has to be at least ten pages...single-spaced. We're already behind…" I started.

"Look, Urkel," he raised his voice, "It's not like you have anything better to do," he reasoned, rolling his eyes…again. "I'll make it up."

I guess he was right. I wouldn't be doing anything besides studying, anyway. Normally, I would have had Tanya to hang out with. Now that we weren't together, I spent most of my time studying, anyway. "I…guess," I mumbled.

"Great!" he smiled. "Thanks, Eric," he slapped my back before heading to the door.

"It's Edward," I reminded him again, waving goodbye.

I took out my books, notes, and computer and got to work. Once I figured out what we were going to talk about, the outline started to take off. I got in the zone. Before I knew it, it was nine o'clock and I had seven pages done. I leaned back in my chair and smiled. I ran to the vending machine to get a snack and took a short break before I got started again. I figured I should be done in another hour or two.

"Damn!" I heard some guy gush, distracting me from my studies. "Look at that ass," he ordered his friend before taking a picture of something with his camera phone.

I looked in the same direction as the two men to see what they were looking at. My eyes locked on the image of a woman sleeping on the floor. However, her sleeping on the floor wasn't what the two men found astounding. It was how she was sleeping. She was down on all fours and her butt was sticking up in the air. She also seemed to be using a pile of books and her computer bag as a makeshift pillow.

"Let's see if I can zoom in," I heard the other guy chuckling. "Amazing!"

Wanting to see what all the fuss was about, I looked over her form from afar. After my assessment, I confirmed that the faceless woman with weird sleeping habits did in fact have a nice ass, a very nice ass.

As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I immediately felt guilty. I was not the kind of man who objectified women. My mother would have been appalled if she could have read my mind. To be honest, I was ashamed. She was a person, too…with a very nice ass.

I was so embarrassed.

I got out of my seat to make my way over to the faceless mystery woman to help her. When I got over to where she was, I saw a sea of brown hair on the floor that covered her face. The closer I got, the light shined through the window, revealing a reddish tint in her hair. I smiled crookedly at the sight. Someone else in this universe had weird-colored hair.

She had on a purple shirt, blue jeans, and some kind of athletic shoes. I think I saw a glimpse of what looked to be a tattoo as her shirt rode up. But, I felt like a pervert enough as it was. I didn't look any further.

"Mmm…cold," she shivered a little in her position as I moved closer. She must have been freezing. It tended to get a bit chilly in here sometimes.

"Excuse me," I whispered, bending down and gently tapping her on her shoulder. As I waited for her to turn around, I found myself a little eager to see what she looked like. "Excuse…"

"Uuuuuggggghhhh," she moaned violently, before her middle finger shot in front of my face. "Leave me alone," she whined, kicking her feet.

I stepped back as though I'd been shot. I was just trying to help. I shouldn't have bothered her, anyway. I should have just minded my business and did what I did best…be invisible.

"S-S-Sorry," I stuttered, stepping away to the sound of the two guys guffawing at mine and mystery girl's exchange.

I went back to my desk and gathered my things to go back home. I didn't think I'd be able to handle staying, knowing everyone had seen what had just happened. I walked past mystery girl, only to hear the sound of her teeth chattering.

The gentleman in me wouldn't allow her to freeze, even though she had been rude to me two minutes prior. Before I left, I took off my large coat and placed it over her like a blanket, warming her and covering her ass in the process, hiding it from the gawking perverts.

It was the least I could do. I had disturbed her after all.

I made my way to my car and headed back to my apartment where I changed into my pajamas and finished the outline. I spent the remainder of the night playing catch-up with the rest of my studies. However, I took an hour off to watch _House_. I loved that show. It was always on. By the time I went to bed, it was four o'clock in the morning.

I woke up at ten o'clock and took a shower. My classes started later on Thursday, so I had the luxury of sleeping in a little. Plus, I only had two classes that day. That was nice. I spent an hour looking over the outline for any errors before I got ready. I decided to wear my favorite sweater vest today. It was green with tan buttons. It was awesome. I put on a pair of khakis and some penny loafers and I left for school.

I had a pop quiz in my Biochemistry class. I was pretty sure I had done well, even though I didn't get the chance to study like I normally did. Then, I printed the outline off in the library and turned it in to my professor. He seemed to be impressed by my work. He told me he was eager to read it. Seeing as how I was done for the day, I grabbed something from one of the cafeterias on campus and started walking to my car.

"Eric!" I heard someone yell behind me. "Eric, wait up!" I heard again, before someone grabbed my shoulder. It was Mike.

"It's Edward," I told him, turning around.

"Whatever," he shrugged. "Thanks for doing that outline. Dr. Carter seemed to like it."

"You're welcome. Just make the next meeting," I said, starting to walk away.

"About that…" he started, before his phone rings, "Fuck…now?" he yelled before slamming the phone shut. "My girlfriend is auditioning for some stupid fucking play. I have to go and cheer her on. Apparently, there's an emergency. Bye," he griped, storming off.

I made it to my car to realize that I couldn't find my keys. I realized that I must have left them in my last class. I ran back to the building, just before they locked the door. I located the missing keys immediately. On my way back to the parking lot, I realized that I needed to find a bathroom…quickly. It turned out the chilidog I'd had for lunch was looking for an exit. I walked into the first entrance I saw and made haste to the nearest facilities.

After the ordeal was finished, I started my way back to my car…again. It seemed like everything was preventing me from going to this evening. As I walked to the exit, I heard the sound of a piano being played along with someone on the violin. I heard the violin and my heart dropped. Tanya played the violin. She was really good. She almost went to Julliard.

Whoever was playing was doing a good job. I had taken lessons when I was younger, though I didn't play much anymore since I'd started college. The person on the violin, on the other hand, needed some work. I peeked into the room to see what was going on. To be honest, I wanted to get a glimpse of who was singing so horribly.

"Okay, ladies and gents," the man at the piano said, "Give it up for Jessica," he ordered with a straight clap followed by a small clap. I guess I wasn't the only person who thought she sucked. "Are there any more who'd like to audition? Anyone? No takers? Not one?" he asked desperately.

"We have one more," a girl zoomed past me while dragging another girl by her arm. The first girl had flame-red hair and blue eyes. What was interesting was that she had cat-like features. She was not ugly…far from it. It was just odd. But, who was I to talk about how anyone looked? "Guys, this is my roommate and best friend, Bella. I brought her here…"

"Against her will!" the redhead's friend snapped. The girl being dragged, whose face I hadn't seen yet, had short black hair. It kind of reminded me of how Alice wore her hair.

"To blow your mind, I was going to say," the redhead finished her sentence before giving a blonde-haired girl what my mom called "the evil eye." She then reached up and grabbed her unwilling friend's hair, snatching the black wig from her head and shoving it in her bag.

"Dammit, Vickie!" her friend hissed, before punching the redhead in the arm. "You're a bitch. You know that?"

"Ehh…whatever," the redhead shrugged.

I hadn't seen the face of the redhead's friend yet...but I did recognize her ass. At least I thought I did. Then, I took a closer look at her hair. That was when I remembered. She was the mystery girl from the library. I still hadn't seen her face.

"Well…" the teacher got behind the piano, "Amaze us," he ordered.

"I've been ordered to play Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven," mystery girl deadpanned, turning to face the piano.

Wow. She was beautiful. Like…_Tanya_ beautiful. Her face was heart-shaped and she had deep almond-shaped eyes that were chocolate brown. Normally, I thought brown eyes were plain. They weren't on her, though.

Her name was Bella.

"Well…go ahead," the blonde girl teased, waving her hand. I saw Mike next to her. Was she his girlfriend? "We don't have all day."

"Fine," Bella sighed as she reached inside a bag and pulled out what looked to be a violin case. She huffed and sighed as she took the instrument out of its case. She gave her red-haired friend the evil eye, and then she began to play. I knew classical music. In my opinion, Moonlight Sonata was one of the most overplayed pieces of music in existence. But there was something about the way she played it. It was different. It was beautiful. I sat outside of the class and listened to her play.

I wondered how Bella and Tanya would sound playing together.

Sooner than I'd like, the last note resonated through the classroom, which was then followed by thunderous applause.

"Thanks. I'm glad you liked it," Bella deadpanned. "Can I leave now?" she asked no one in particular. When no one answered, she packed up her things and bolted out of the door. She bashed me in the face with the door during her escape.

"Ouch!" I yelled, covering my nose as I fell to the ground. I was bleeding. I knew it. I looked at my hands and the mirror in the hallway to see how bad it was. Yep. It was bad.

"Shit!" she yelled, bending down to see if I was okay. "I'm so sorry! I'm a one-woman catastrophe. Are you okay?"

"It burns!" I hissed, pinching my nose.

"Should you pinch it?" she asked, pointing to my fingers.

"It's to help the blood clot so I'll stop bleeding," I said, holding my head up.

"Damn, Bella," the redhead laughed, "You broke his nose."

"Shut the fuck up, Victoria! Go home!" she snapped. "Did I break it?" Bella asked me, coming back with some tissue. "Damn, that's a bad one. I'm so sorry. I'll…"

"It's okay," I winced, trying to nod my head.

"I'll pay. I promise. It's my fault," she ran on. "Dad is going to murder me," she shook her head as she wiped my face with tissue.

"Bella," I said, taking the tissue from her. "I'm fine. It's not broken. It'll bruise. But it's not broken," I tried to convince her.

"You sure?" she asked, taking a bottle of water out of her bag and handing it to me.

"What's this for?" I asked, holding the water up.

"Wash off the blood. There's a lot on there," she winced looking at my wound.

She sat by me on the floor while I cleaned my face, asking if I was okay every ten seconds.

"Hey," she poked me on my shoulder.

"It's fine," I told her for the twentieth time.

"I wasn't going to ask you that," she laughed, rolling her eyes. "How did you know my name?" she asked, giving me a weird face. "I don't know you."

"Oh," I blushed awkwardly, "I heard you playing earlier," I confessed as she nodded her head. "Are you a music major?" I asked.

"Hell no!" she said loudly. "That was a favor for Victoria, my friend; she despises Jessica's guts and wanted to see her face when she got upstaged. It was catty, I know, but that's Victoria. I stopped playing when I was seventeen."

"Why? You're awesome."

"I fell out of love with it," she shrugged her shoulders. "What year are you?"

"I'm in graduate school. I just started med school about a month ago."

"Nice," she said. "I wish I knew what I wanted."

"How old are you?" I asked. She looked kind of young to be in college.

"Twenty," she confessed.

"You have two years to figure it out," I tried to cheer her up. "You're only a sophomore"

She laughed hysterically. "It's more like I have six months to figure it out. I'm a senior. I skipped a couple of grades."

"Cool," I nodded my head.

"You okay?" she asked. "Sorry. I just feel bad."

"I'm perfectly fine," I said getting up.

"Looking good, Bella," Mike whistled, walking past us and leering at her.

"Fuck off, Newton," Bella said without looking back. "Not in your wettest dream!"

"Yo, Bella," someone came up to her once we exited the building, "Can I have fifty…?"

"No," she interrupted him before he could finish.

"Come on," he said. "I don't feel like going to the bank. It's not like you…"

"That sounds like a personal problem," she snapped back. "Find someone who gives a shit, Tyler. You're barking up the wrong tree," she added before the man stormed off. "Sorry about that," she apologized.

"It's okay," I said. "I need to get home."

"What's your name?" she asked me. "I feel bad that I almost broke your nose and I don't even know who you are."

"Edward Cullen," I said turning around.

"Shit," she deadpanned, taking off the jacket. "I was hoping I'd get to keep this thing. It's comfortable," she added, handing my coat back to me. "Did I flip you off yesterday?"

"Uh…"

"Sorry for that. There's a ten-minute bitch window after someone wakes me up. It wasn't personal," she explained.

"How'd you know it was mine?" I asked, putting it back on. It smelled all girly…like strawberries.

"You wrote your name on the tag," she laughed. "It's pretty hard to miss. It was nice meeting you, Edward Cullen. Thanks for the loan of the coat," she said, walking away and waving at me.

"You're welcome," I waved back, smiling. She was nice.

"Hey," she stopped walking, "Your smile is crooked."

My smile faltered and my face dropped a little. I'd always been sensitive about my smile. I hated that it was not normal.

"Don't hide it," she said, waving off my apparent sadness. "It's really pretty…cute," she said walking off again. My smile returned.

I finally made it back to my car and got home without anything else bothering me. Once I changed out of my clothes, I did one of the Monkey Man videos Emmett had sent me. He said I was forbidden to not have a six-pack. I'd been doing them for the past few months. They weren't that bad. Afterwards, I took a shower, studied, called my mom, and went to bed. I was not as late this time. I got to bed by two o'clock in the morning.

The next two weeks followed the same pattern. I woke up, went to school, went home, studied, watched _House_, studied some more, called my mom, and went to bed. My grades were fantastic. Mine and Mike's paper turned out really well. We got the only "A" in the class. I ended up having to finish the project by myself once his grandmother died, though. I understood. It was hard when a grandparent died. We even got teamed up for another project…again. I was not sure how I felt about it. Aside from everything academic, I was still sad. Sometimes, I picked up my phone to call Tanya's number, only to remember that she didn't want to talk to me. I missed the times when she'd come over and I took her shopping. We had done that a lot.

I missed her.

"Well…fuck me sideways!" I heard someone yell. "I can't believe this," the voice whimpered. "No. No. No. No. No. No!" I heard the voice yell before the woman started to jump up and down in the parking lot in front of the Science building. Once I got a good look at the woman, I realized it was Bella. Okay, I saw her butt. Today, she had on a blue, pink, and green floral dress, matching boots, and a green wig that had pigtails.

She was a weird one.

"Bella?" I asked, honestly a little scared to approach her. "Are you okay?"

"Seriously?" she stopped stomping to glare at me. "Do I look okay? Why would you ask that?"

"I-I-I'm s-sorry," I apologized stepping back. "I just wanted…"

"No, I'm sorry," she apologized, dropping her shoulders and stepping forward. "I've been having a hard couple of hours. I just found out that I'm failing my Calculus II class…miserably. I'm talking like…a twenty-five," she said, rifling through her papers to show me a test with a big twenty-five written on it in red.

"Wow," I said awkwardly. "That's pretty…bad."

"But that's not why I'm standing here in the parking lot crying to the heavens in futility," she waved her hands in the air. "My car just got towed and my roommate can't get me because she's working at the old folks' home and the tow place closes at five. Then, I have to get my dog from the groomers by four o'clock or they're going to charge me an overnight boarding fee and I won't be able to get her out of there until tomorrow. So, it sucks to be me right now," she huffed, flipping the bird at the sky. "Stop fucking staring at me!" she yelled at a pack of girls that were indeed staring at her.

"I guess it kind of does," I said, trying to make a joke. She didn't laugh.

"Your nose healed okay," she said, lightly touching my face.

"Ahh!" We both jumped at the current that moved through us as my glasses fell to the ground.

"Sorry about that. I probably gathered static during my show just now," she apologized. "You don't have to stay with me. You probably have a class or something. I can call a cab," she told me as she reached into her purse.

"It's okay," I stopped her. "I-I'll take you," I offered. I didn't know what came over me. I just felt this urge to help her. Plus, she seemed to be an okay person. It would be nice to have a friend.

"Really?" she asked. "You wouldn't mind? You don't know me that well. It wouldn't…"

"It's fine," I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm finished for the day. Unless you…"

"Oh, I'm done," she said, walking over to me. "Where's your car?"

"I'll show you," I said, leading her to my Volvo.

"You drive a soccer mom car," she deadpanned as she got into the passenger seat.

"That's not an original insult," I informed her as I pulled off.

As we drove in silence, I thought to myself, she just took a ride from a complete stranger. I couldn't even begin to fathom how dangerous that was…in this world.

"You shouldn't take rides from strangers," I scolded her. Imagine if I'd been evil. "I could be a crazy person."

"You shouldn't _give_ rides to strangers. I _am_ a crazy person," she stared at me. She didn't blink. Oh, God. "Chill out, dude. It's a joke. You seem to be an okay guy. Besides, no offense, but I could _totally_ take you in a fight to the death," she giggled.

She probably could. I was incredibly weak for a man.

"Thanks for this. I'm not sure if Victoria could've gotten off of work without notice," she said, looking out the window.

"Who's that?" I asked.

"She's my roommate and my best friend. We've been stuck with each other since our mother's became friends," she rolled her eyes.

"She works with the elderly. That's nice of her," I pointed out, making small talk.

"It's not by choice," she laughed. "It's court mandated. She got a DUI last year. It was eighty hours of community service or jail."

"Oh," I said, shocked.

"Here it is!" she alerted me. "Are you coming in? Sometimes owners come in late to get their dogs. It could be a wait," she said. I shrugged my shoulders and followed her inside.

"Bella!" a middle-aged woman with blonde hair came from the back. "Snooki's been waiting for you," she smiled. "Every time she hears the bell on the door, she tries to run out," she said before walking to the back room. She brought out a tiny fuzzy red dog. It was clearly a dog for girls.

Tanya hated dogs. She said they smelled and were too needy.

"How was she today?" Bella asked, handing the lady her credit card. "She's a toy Pomeranian," Bella informed me as she petted the animal.

"Her behavior is a lot better," the woman huffed. "She didn't have any outbursts today."

"Snooki is a kindred spirit," Bella explained. "She gets a little overzealous sometimes," she whispered as she looked to the corner at a golden retriever with a cast on its leg. "They got into a disagreement about a chew toy the other day. It didn't end well."

"Where's her bag?" I asked, looking around.

"We don't need a bag," she ruffled the dog's fur. "We're okay."

"Don't you need one?"

Tanya had a bag to match every one of her outfits to carry around Diva.

"Nope," she said. "Don't worry. She's trained," she told me as I opened the door for her. "Thank you."

As soon as I stepped into the car, Bella's dog leaped from her lap in my general direction. Out of habit, I immediately covered my face. I made the mistake of not taking an animal attack too seriously once and Diva, Tanya's cat, clawed my neck pretty badly. This dog, however, chose to jump into my arms and rubbed her face against my cheek.

"Aw…" Bella cooed, "She likes you."

"I guess so," I said picking her up to pet her.

"Ooh!" Bella shrieked, "We need to get to the tow place."

I started the car and began the drive to go get Bella's car. I noticed something in my rearview mirror that distracted me. Bella was rocking back and forth in her seat and looking out the window.

"Are you okay?" I asked, worried. "Are you sick?"

"No," she said. "You're just driving too…damn…slow," she told me, watching the cars beside us.

"I'm driving the speed limit," I informed her.

"I know. You're driving too slow. We'll never make it," she huffed, slouching her shoulders.

"I'm not going any faster," I told her. "I'd be putting both of us in danger."

"Speed limits are guidelines, not rules. Everyone knows that," she whined. "That guy on the moped just passed us," she pointed out.

"That was a motorcycle."

"Moped," she argued. "Please, go faster," she begged.

"No," I told her.

"You suck," she pouted, looking out the window.

I continued driving…the speed limit… and we made it to the tow lot. Bella ran inside. I followed suit.

"Sorry. It's 5:05 p.m. We're closed. You can come back tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. to get your car," the man said, looking at Bella funny. I didn't approve. A man shouldn't look at a lady like that.

Bella stood still before turning slowly to look at me. Then, her eyes started to water, followed by her lip quivering.

I immediately started to feel bad. I could have driven a little over the limit. It was my fault. I should have listened. She probably hated me now.

"Bella, I'm sorry. It's my fault. I'll take you tomorrow…" I started.

"Please, Sir," Bella whimpered. "Please? I need my car. I really need my car. Please?" she started to cry.

"I'm sorry, Miss…" the man started.

"I have to get my grandmother's medication and take my little sister to school tomorrow morning at six o'clock," she started again. "She's going on a fieldtrip. She can't be late. It's my job to take care of them. There isn't a-a-a," she started to stutter and hiccup. Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks. "Please, Sir," she started again, her shoulders shaking with sobs.

Now I really felt bad. She was a student who was probably working her way through college while I'd never had to work. Then, she had to support her grandmother and her sister. I should have just driven faster. She definitely hated me.

"I need my car. I had to beg my cousin to drive over to come get me from school," she added pointing to me. "Please, Sir? Please? I really need this. I know it's the rules, but no one's here. We won't tell anybody," she bargained. "Please?"

Huh?

"I'm sorry," he said.

"But…"

"I'll let you get your car. But I'll have to charge you for an extra day of storage," he said softly, touching Bella's shaking shoulder. She was still crying.

"B-b-but," she whimpered harder. "I don't have enough money to pay for two days. I only have enough for one day and another fifty dollars for grandma's medicine," she started crying again. "I don't have that kind of money," she started shaking with sobs as she grabbed onto my sweater vest and sank down a little bit. At this point, I was basically holding her up. "What am I going to do?" she asked, shaking her head.

"It's okay," I told her, patting her wig. "I'll pay…"

"Come on, honey," the man ordered, "Let me see some ID and I'll waive the second day."

"Really?" she smiled while wiping her nose.

"Don't tell anyone," he ordered. "They'll think I'm getting soft."

"Thank you," Bella smiled slightly before giving the man the necessary documents. He went to the garage to get her car.

"Bella, I'm so sorry," I apologized hugging her. "It must be so hard for…"

"Is he gone?" she asked.

"Uh…yeah," I answered, looking at him getting inside a white sports car.

"Good," she said, wiping her eyes and blowing her nose. "That was a close one," she smiled.

"Y-you were faking that?" I asked in disbelief. She nodded her head and giggled. "What about your grandmother and sister?"

"Both grandparents are dead and I'm an only child," she answered, going through her purse. "People have a soft spot for old people and children," she shrugged her shoulders. "I lied, but for a good reason," she pointed at me. "We were only five minutes late. He was being an asshole," she said.

She was right. We weren't that late. I couldn't believe she'd just cried like that. That was kind of…awesome.

"You must think I'm a brat, huh?" she laughed. "Where the Hell is that guy with my fucking car?"

"I don't think that at all," I told her. "I was just thinking how awesome it was you cried for no reason."

"It's a gift," she shrugged nonchalantly. "It earned me the part of Blanche DuBois sophomore year."

"You're a theater major?"

"Uh…no," she laughed at my guess.

"Why?"

"It doesn't stimulate me."

"What major are you then?"

"I'm undecided," she said, looking out the window to look for her car. "Where is he? He'd better not be doing donuts in my shit!"

"Wait a minute," I said after her former statement settled in. "You're a senior, with an _undecided_ major?"

"Yep."

"How does that happen?"

"I'm done with my General Education. Plus, I've taken all of the intro classes that interest me. Once I declare a major, all I have is four more classes. I'll graduate on time. I'll pick something eventually. I'm good at everything…except math, apparently…really, just _this_ math class. I mean, what asshole only puts two questions on a test?" she said, pulling out her test paper again. "I'll just withdraw. No biggie," she said, putting the test back into her bag.

"You don't have to withdraw," I told her.

"Uh…yeah, I do," she pulled out her paper again and circled the twenty-five with her finger.

"I'll help you," I volunteered. She looked at me funny. "I-I mean, I'm good at math and science. You have to be to be in med school. I could sit with you an hour or so when you need it," I told her as I pushed up my glasses.

I didn't know why I offered. I barely had enough time to sleep as it was. But, I felt the need to help her like I had today.

"You'd do that?" she asked. "You hardly know me," she told herself. She stared into space for a second until the sound of an engine pulled her out of her trance. "Okay," she smiled, hopping off the counter and running out to her car.

"That's your car?" I pointed to a white sports car. It had a neat design on the hood. It was some sort of bird.

"Yep," she said hugging the hood of her car. "It's a 1979 Trans Am," she told me, giving the man her credit card to pay. The man looked at it funny and walked away. "I love you, Tracy."

"You named your car _Tracy_?" I asked.

"Yeah, Tracy the Trans Am," she smiled, putting Snooki in her car.

"Miss," the man came outside holding her card, "Something is wrong with your card."

"Excuse me?" Bella asked, confused.

"I keep swiping it and nothing happens," he said awkwardly. "I'm sorry…"

"Can we go back inside?" she smiled, heading inside. "Wait here, please," she asked me before following the man inside.

I wiped my glasses and squinted to see better. Then, I stepped a little closer. The man was shaking the card in Bella's face. She started shaking her head and snatched the card from him, reaching over the desk for the phone. After she made a call, she smiled and the man huffed and wrote a receipt. I had propped the door open a bit to listen and make sure he wasn't giving her a hard time.

"Sorry, Ma'am," he ripped the receipt and handed it to her while rolling his eyes.

"Sure you are," she rolled her eyes in return and turned for the door. She walked past me and out to her car. "Would you mind meeting tomorrow?" she called to me. "My professor is giving us another test. He agreed to average the tests together. So, if I get a decent grade, I'll only be failing by a little bit."

"O-Okay," I agreed, giving her my phone so she could put her number in it.

"Call or text me or whatever," she rushed. "The makeup test is next Monday," she explained.

"O-Okay," I said. "I'll talk to you later."

"See you, Edward," she smiled before pulling out of the tow lot and speeding away.

She drove like Alice.

I smiled, walking back to my car. I had made a new friend. She didn't tease me or make me feel awkward. She talked to me like I was…normal.

**BELLA**

_"Victoria…fuck yes!"_

_"Oh, yeah…Oh, God!"_

_"Goddamn it…Shit!"_

_"Right there. Don't you fucking stop!"_

"Oh, God," I griped, covering my ears with my pillow and turning over, cursing the excellent acoustics of my house. Victoria seemed to be enjoying her time with her newest flavor of the week, Preston. At least, I think that was his name.

She was very vocal, as if the neighbors couldn't tell. I could hear them all the way in my room…fucking banshee.

Snooki jumped up on my bed to curl up next to me. I'd been trying my best to finish my History paper. It was due tomorrow. I decided to do mine on how America was an unknowing participant in apartheid in South Africa. It had to be twenty pages. I was on page seventeen, which was pretty fucking awesome. The only thing I had left was my conclusion and works cited. However, I couldn't concentrate due to the sex marathon my roommate was having. I bookmarked a website with pertinent information on it before going to bed and counting my losses for the night.

Damn you, Victoria.

Pissed off, I woke up at six o'clock in the morning to finish the paper. Around eight, I finally got done. I ended up going over the limit a little bit. Now that the easy stuff was over, I could finally get ready for school.

I loved my wardrobe. It was a fucking mess. I liked dressing how I wanted to. I'd spent so long doing what I had been told…and what I'd been told was what I was supposed to do, how I was supposed to do it, and when I was supposed to have it done by. It was surreal, being able to make my own choices and dress how I wanted.

Bitch.

I searched my spirit and felt…purple. I grabbed a purple shirt, some blue jeans, and some purple Converse. I left my _natural_ hair down. No wig today. I was a little pissed that I'd had to throw away my purple wig last month. It accidently fell into the toilet when I was in the bathroom. I hadn't been able to find another one I liked since. I grabbed some purple, green, and gold bangles and took the elevator down to the kitchen to get a quick breakfast.

"Hey, girlie," Vic sighed, ruffling my hair. "Going natural today?"

"Fuck you," I retorted, flipping her off with a smile.

I hated my real hair. Not the hair itself…but what it represented.

"How did your paper turn out?"

"Twenty-four pages," I gloated a little. "That's a personal best."

"Weirdo," she shook her head. "You'll probably get an 'A' on it, too."

It pissed Victoria off that I half-assed my schoolwork and still got an "A" in every class.

"Hey, Bella," Victoria's new man greeted me, hugging Victoria from behind.

"Hey…" I waved my hand, trying to think of his name. I couldn't so I ate a _Skinny Bitch_ bar instead.

I loved these.

"I gotta go, Vicky," he smiled, kissing her on the neck. "I'll call you later."

"Okay," she sang, hunching her shoulders in excitement as he left. "Oh, my God," she huffed. "He wouldn't leave last night," she complained.

"What?" I asked, giggling. "You seemed to be enjoying him last night," I accused.

"Whatever," she scoffed, eating a bowl of cereal. "That was just a booty call…at least to me it was," she admitted, shaking her head. "We have sex three times and he's acting like he's in love. He invited me to come to church with him to meet his parents," she shivered. "No thanks. I'm cutting him loose."

Ouch.

"The man-eater strikes again," I announced in my newscaster voice.

"Eh…" she lifted her shoulders, putting her bowl in the sink. "Enough about me," she switched the subject. "We need to get _you_ laid."

"Victoria…" I warned.

"Come on," she pleaded, "Join the club. Penis is awesome. You can't be a virgin forever, Bella. You're young. You're filthy…nasty rich. You're hot…almost as hot as me."

Victoria had taken a personal offense to my virgin status since she'd lost her virginity in the ninth grade. She cared about my pussy just as much as hers. It was nice when you thought about it…and weird.

"Vic…"

"You and me…together? The men wouldn't stand a chance," she argued, arching her eyebrows. I gave her a bitch face in return. "You suck!" she chided, walking toward the garage.

"Going somewhere?" I teased, shaking my car keys in her face.

"Bitch," she flipped me off as we went to the garage together.

"It's not my fault you got a DUI and your father took your car away," I smiled.

Last year, Victoria got caught driving drunk and got arrested. Her parents found out and took away her pretty red Ferrari.

"Can we take the…?"

"No," I replied, walking to my car.

"Please?" she asked, sitting on the hood of the Mercedes McClaren.

"No," I said again, throwing my bag into the back seat of my Trans Am.

I loved my car. I'd paid for it with _my own_ money.

"How about the Porsche?"

"Nope," I told her, popping the "p."

"The '62 Corvette?" she inquired, opening the door.

"Nu huh," I said, starting the car.

"What about the Cheetah?" she tried, wiggling her eyebrows. "We would totally show-stop in that," she begged.

"Hell no!" I griped, opening the garage door.

"But, it's the only one ever made," she started. "It was a gift. Your dad might be neglectful, but he's an awesome gift giver," she pointed to the garage and obscene house my dad had built for me…just to go to school.

"Why do you call it the Cheetah anyway?" I asked, pressing my palm on the identifier to lock the house before we left.

"It sounds like one when you rev the engine," she pouted.

She decided to give me the silent treatment the entire drive to school. I'd been immune to that form of torture since I was six. I didn't really care. I enjoyed the silence.

"Have a nice day at school, sweetie," I ordered in my motherly voice. "Play nice with the other children."

"Have a nice day," she rolled her eyes, getting out of the car. "Oh, bring your violin when you come to pick me up from orchestra. Okay?"

"Whatever," I replied, getting out of the car.

I had a full day today. I had to turn in my History paper. Then, I had a test in my Calc II class, followed by a most-likely boring lecture in my Modern Literature class.

I made it to my History class just in time to hand my paper in.

"Ah…Ms. Swan," Dr. Truman smiled halfheartedly. "I look forward to reading this."

"I hope so," I replied curtly.

I sat in class and doodled on my paper while he talked. He asked me questions. I answered. It was the same every class. He gave us a quiz on what we were supposed to have read…two weeks ago. I got the only "A." Everyone was mad because I'd fucked up the curve…again. I didn't give a shit.

My professor…all of my professors, really…had a problem with me. It was mostly because I sat in class, didn't do anything, and was still able to get an "A" in their class…at Harvard. What could I say? I was just _that_ good. Most would have thought this was because of who my father was. That was not the case. In fact, not many people even knew who my parents were. The truth was…I was just smart. Only Victoria and the Dean knew. I liked keeping it that way. I guess I could credit…or blame…my mother for my academic prowess. Crazy bitch. I chose to blame her.

Once I got out of History, I had a fifteen-minute window to get to my Calc II class. The class seemed to be pretty normal. I sat down, took out my calculator, and waited to get the test over with. After this class, I had a three-hour window. I could go home, eat lunch, and then come back. Soon, the teacher began to hand out the tests. I was not sure, but I think I saw him smirk at me when he gave me mine. I nodded my head and looked at the test.

It was one page.

With two questions.

Two hard questions.

I looked at the questions. Then, I looked at them again. It was then that I realized something. Oh, God...

I didn't know the answers.

What the Hell?

This had never happened to me!

I looked at the questions again. I was smart. That was my deal…a calling card if you will. I was _trained_ to be smart. Maybe I was looking at it wrong. Nope. I was still confused. Was he fucking kidding me? Who only put two questions on a test?

Shit.

I looked over the two questions for most of the class period. It wasn't until the professor notified me that I only had ten minutes left that I wrote down what I could and turned it in. It was bad.

I went home and thought about what had just happened. I was…in shock. I didn't go to my Lit class. He was probably only going to talk about the project we had due next week, anyway. I couldn't believe what I'd just witnessed. I'd never gotten below an "A" in anything in my life. I'd been…programmed not to. Before I could think any further, my phone rang. It was my mom. Bitch.

"Fuck you, very much," I laughed, pressing the "ignore" button. I was not in the mood for her shit.

I lounged around and watched TV until it was time to pick Victoria up. I brought my violin like she'd asked. Maybe someone she knew needed to use it. God knows I hadn't. I decided to put my black wig on. It matched my mood. Snooki barked in approval before I left.

It was a little chilly outside so I grabbed the mystery jacket I'd found last week in the library. When I was studying, I'd fallen asleep. Soon after, I'd felt a tap on my shoulder, followed by this spark. Being sleepy, I disregarded both and flipped off the owner of the tapping finger. He…at least I think it was a he because the jacket smelled like a man…left a comfy coat draped over me so I wouldn't be cold. I tried to give it back when I woke up, but it appeared he had gone.

Didn't you just love Good Deed of the Day?

"Bella," Victoria jumped as she saw me pull up. "You gotta help me show this bitch who's boss."

"What? Why? Who?" I asked, confused.

"Jessica Stanley," she rolled her eyes. "She's been walking around all week acting like she's God's gift to the orchestra. She won't stop talking about how many experts her daddy paid to train her," she paused, talking in that voice kids used when they made fun of people. "Normally, I'd chop her down to size, but I play cello. So, I need for you to help me ruin her day," she rushed.

"That sounds like a personal problem," I reasoned. I was not a fan of being used to piss somebody off.

I'd had enough of that shit.

"You played with the Russian orchestra when you were twelve!"

"So?"

She was acting like I'd had a choice in the matter.

_Champions are well-rounded._

Fuck. It was the voice again.

"Please?" she asked again. "She's been going on and on about how she's a shoe-in. The truth is that no one goes against her out of fear. You're fearless…awesome…and a thousand times better than she is. She's even making Mike come," she rolled her eyes.

"Newton?" I asked interested.

"The one and pervy," she answered, walking inside.

"I'll do it," I smiled.

I'd hated Mike Newton since high school. Yeah, I'd known him for that long. I'd refused to give him a hand job after the Homecoming dance in the tenth grade. He wasn't even my date. After that, he started a rumor that I was a lesbian. Apparently, this lie was plausible because everyone believed it…except for Victoria. Even after all of that, he still tried to get in my pants at every turn. If that wasn't enough to piss me off, his sense of entitlement was. His uncle owned the Newton Outfitters company. This allowed Mike to think he was better than everyone. He'd lived his whole life riding off someone else's legacy. Douche.

"Why?" Victoria asked, confused by my sudden cooperation.

"If my playing the violin happens to make Mike's night miserable, I could live with that," I stated, following her inside.

After being ordered to play Moonlight Sonata, I did as I was asked. Every second was torture, causing me to wish it was over. Finally, I played the last note to a resounding applause. The teacher stood up to clap for me, while I looked over to see Victoria giving Jessica a shit-eating grin. My work was done. I rushed through the door to go home. I heard a bone-crushing sound followed by an, "Ow!"

I looked to see a guy around my age howling on the floor in pain. Out of instinct, I tried to help him. I was afraid I might have been making it worse, though. I ran to the bathroom to get some tissue, praying the guy's nose wasn't broken. I didn't want to get sued. I came back and helped clean his nose and face. When all the blood was cleaned off, I got a chance to see the guy's face.

He had on a pair of thick-framed glasses, a sweater vest, and khakis that were about a half of a size too small. However, they worked for him. His hair looked to be kind of a copper color…kind of like a penny. I couldn't really tell because he had a lot of hair gel in it. Also, his eyes were this odd color green. They were like a forest green color.

He was cute. I wanted to hug him.

I learned that his name was Edward. He'd also just started med school this semester. He seemed like a nice guy. He wasn't even mad that I'd almost killed him with the door. I think he was pissed that I kept asking him if he was okay. I couldn't help it. He looked so hurt. Afterwards, I gave him back the mystery comfy jacket. It made me sad. I was starting to really like that coat. Plus, it smelled nice…like man spice.

Ooh, that rhymed!

"Was that guy okay?" Vic asked when I pulled off.

"I think so," I reasoned. "He said he was okay."

"That shit was brutal. It looked like a Quentin Tarrantino movie," she shook her head.

"I hope it's not broken," I sighed as my cell phone rang…again. It was my mother. "Ugh," I gagged, ignoring the call.

That was the most interesting day I'd had in a long time.

The next couple of weeks were boring. That was, until I got a package in the mail.

_Bella, _

_To spice up your horrible closet and better your poor taste. Make use of them._

_-Mother_

I rolled my eyes and carried the box inside. I found several articles of clothing from all of the main designer brands. Gucci, Versace, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier…you name it. I didn't wear this shit. She knew it. I liked to shop at thrift stores, Goodwill, and the Salvation Army. She just didn't get it… or accept it.

Bitch.

She knew I was not into designer labels. Yet every season, she sent me tons of clothes, like it would change my mind. She sent them with a card along with some insult. It was another way of trying to make me feel like I was not good enough. Who signed a card with "Mother" on it, anyway?

I took the box and drove it to _Dress_ _for Success_. It was a local charity for people who were down on their luck and needed new clothes to help them get jobs. I placed the box on the doorstep and knocked on the door before getting in my car and driving away. Those people could make better use of them than I ever would.

Wednesday was my slacker day. I had Calc II and my film class. My film class was boring…as usual. The professor reminded us that we needed to have our individual films done by next month. I hadn't even started editing mine yet. At the beginning of the semester, I'd shot all of the footage. I just needed to string it together. I would get to it eventually. I drove to the math building for class. I was bored out of my mind…yet again. At the end of class, Dr. Patterson handed me back my paper. It was a twenty-five.

Twenty-five?

Twenty-five!

This couldn't be.

I heard that annoying voice in my head.

_You're a champion. Champions don't fail._

"Excuse me," I asked Dr. Patterson after class, "Um…" I showed him my paper, "Has there…"

"No," he interrupted me. "You failed."

"But…"

"You can't be lazy through every class and expect to pass," he smiled, packing up his things. "I suggest you drop the course," he smirked walking out.

Huh?

I walked out of the building in a daze. I couldn't believe that I had failed. Not only did I fail, I had failed with a twenty-five. A twenty-five! I couldn't believe this shit. I walked to the parking lot to find that my car wasn't there. I had shit to do today. I didn't have time for this. This wasn't normally in my character, but I had a hissy fit. I'm talking yelling, screaming, and stomping in the parking lot. Worse day ever.

"Bella?" I heard someone call my name.

It was Edward.

I smiled at his kindness. Not only did he offer to drive me to get my dog. He drove me to get my car too. He's nice. Snooki seemed to like him too. She didn't attack him like she did most people. We didn't talk much on the way over there. He struck me as a quiet type. I didn't want to make him uncomfortable so I kept quiet too. One of the things I noticed was that he seemed…sad. I tried joking with him about how sloe he was driving. I don't think he got it. So, I stayed silent.

After pulling the crying caretaker bit at the impound yard, I was scared that he'd think I was crazy. Most do anyway. I was a little shocked to find out that he thought it was cool. He even offered to tutor me in my Calc II class. I didn't want to drop it. I was never one to admit defeat… not in anything. I went to bed that night happy that I'd made a new friend and got a solution to my problem in the process.

**Related outfit pics are on my profile.**

**Reviews get a teaser!**


	3. Chapter 3

**EMOTIONAL WARFARE**

**I don't own Twilight**

**I would like to thank all of my cw12 and EW fans who persuaded me to post this story again. Your words of kindness and encouragement gave me the mind to give all the haters a mental middle finger and keep going. **

**BTW...there will be an epi this go-round. **

**Chapter 3**

**EDWARD**

When I made it home from taking Bella to the impound yard, I pulled up my schedule for the rest of the week to see when I could meet her for tutoring. I found some time on Friday and sent her a text letting her know to meet me in the library. I logged on to Facebook to see that Emmett had written on my wall.

_**Hey, bro! How have you been doing? I haven't heard from you in ages. You wouldn't be avoiding your favorite handsome older brother would you? I'm hurt. I thought you loved me.**_

I quickly replied, writing on his wall to let him know that I was fine and to give Megan a kiss for me. Before I logged off, I noticed two red flags on my notice bar.

_**Bella Swan has requested you as a friend on Facebook.**_

I smiled to myself and accepted her request. She even sent me a message.

_**Why don't you have a picture? You look like a creeper without one. **_

I rolled my eyes and clicked on her page. She had a cute profile picture. She had on a pretty pink dress and a long blonde and pink wig. I looked at her status and laughed.

_**Dear Journey, **_

_**I've stopped believing. Now, what?**_

_**-Bella**_

I looked at the clock to see that I'd missed the first fifteen minutes of _House_. I navigated away from her page, pleased with myself that I'd gained a new friend. I'd had a pretty good day. Then, my news feed updated.

_**Tanya Denali is in a relationship with Riley Biers.**_

And just like that, my good day had gone to shit, as would the next few, and I wondered when, or if, it would ever stop hurting.

I woke up to the sound of my alarm at six o'clock in the morning. Slowly, I got up, dreading the upcoming day. It seemed like for the past few of days that dreading had been all I'd been doing.

Tanya had a boyfriend.

His name was Riley Biers.

We were not getting back together.

I grabbed my throbbing head and went to the kitchen in search of some Tylenol to cure my hangover. I had become acquainted with alcohol overnight. Rum. Vodka. Tequila. Everything. I guess you could say that I went a little overboard after Tanya made her announcement. I went to the liquor store and bought the first three bottles I could put my hands on. After I got back to my apartment, I didn't remember much. That happened two days in a row.

I sat down to wait for the pills to take effect and immediately came to the conclusion that alcohol was not the answer. It tasted terrible. Plus, it made you feel awful the next day. I made it a point to remember to pour the rest of it out when I got back. Just because I felt bad emotionally didn't mean I should feel bad physically.

After the headache faded a little, I headed to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready. My hair decided to be extra stubborn, causing me to put more gel in it than usual. Then, I dropped my glasses and they cracked down the middle. So, I did the stereotypical nerd thing and taped them back together with white tape. Besides that, nothing interesting happened. Like the rest of the week, I attended my class and took notes. I was basically on autopilot; there physically, but not mentally.

"Mr. Cullen?" Dr. Medina questioned.

"Yeah?" I mumbled as I gathered my books.

"Are you okay? You seem a little…off," he said looking concerned.

No. "Yeah," I lied. "I guess I'm just having an off day," I shrugged my shoulders before leaving.

I started walking towards the library to get some much-needed studying in. I'd been slacking off the last couple of days. On my path, it felt like I kept seeing couples holding hands…kissing…in love. I missed that. I knew I might have seemed like a sap, but I always felt like I'd get married young like my parents. Even my siblings seemed to have found "the one" early on in life. I was jealous of that. Now, Tanya was with someone else and I was alone. It was a miracle that she had even been my friend, let alone my girlfriend. Girls didn't even look at me. I'd always been kind of anonymous. Being seen was more of an Emmett and Alice thing. I couldn't help but think that I would be alone forever. I wiped the fog off of my glasses and kept walking.

"Hey, Edward," Bella waved walking past me smiling.

"Hey," I mumbled shrugging my shoulders.

"See you later."

"Mhmm," I answered, walking away.

I set my bag down and got in the zone. I looked at the work schedule to find that I was going to have a test in both Anatomy and Physiology in the upcoming weeks. I took out my books, my notes, and my favorite highlighters and started to study. I tended to have a very specific way to study. Before class, I read the material and highlight the important terms and concepts. Then, when I took notes in class, I highlighted the important things in a different color. If a concept was mentioned more than once, I would highlight it as the same color that I highlighted it in the textbook. If not, I highlighted it in a different color. This way, it was easier to study. Also, I liked to give the material a thorough onceover one last time to try my best to predict questions that would be on the test. One class had primary colors, another class had secondary colors; it helped me to prevent feeling overwhelmed.

It was very effective.

I started on Anatomy first, since I had just come from that class and it was still fresh.

"Arthur!" Mike patted my back and sat down. "My man, how's it going?"

"It's Edward," I corrected him as I thought of how the professor would word a question. "How was the service?"

Mike's Grandma Anne had died last week. He had to leave town in order to go to her funeral. He hadn't been in school all week. I felt sorry for him, so I agreed to finish the project by myself. I knew how rough things like that could be.

"Oh," he said. "It was beautiful. It's what Grandpa Pat would've wanted."

Huh?

"You told me your grandmother died," I replied confused as I cleaned my glasses.

"No, I didn't," he replied looking offended.

"Yeah. You told me it was your Grandma Anne," I told him after I thought about it.

I didn't want to be insensitive, but I was pretty sure I was right. He wasn't lying. Was he?

"No," he paused again…longer this time. "I didn't," he replied in a harsh tone. "If I did, it was because I was upset and wasn't thinking properly."

Five times?

"S-sorry," I stuttered. "I must've heard you wrong," I apologized. I didn't want him to be mad at me.

"It's okay, Aaron," he patted me on the back. "It was an honest mistake. You can make it up to me by letting me see your notes," he smiled peeking at them.

"But…I haven't studied yet," I told him, sliding the papers closer to me like they were my children. "Plus, they're **highlighted**."

"They're just notes," Mike rolled his eyes. "I haven't been to class. I've been sad about grandpa," he said deflated. Grandpa? Didn't we just have this discussion?

"The test isn't until next Tuesday," I said looking at my syllabus. "You have time."

It would be impossible for me to study properly for the test without my notes. Since they were color coded, the text depended on the notes and vice versa. If you took one away, the system was useless.

"I want to get it out of the way," Mike huffed and rolled his eyes. "Come on, dude," he asked crossing his arms.

I thought about it and decided that letting him borrow a couple of chapters wouldn't hurt. It was the nice thing to do. He'd been having a tough couple of weeks after all.

"What chapters do you need?" I asked flipping through my notes.

"All of them," he answered grabbing my binder. "Thanks, buddy," he smirked before tucking my entire binder with all my notes under his arm and getting up. "Hey, if you add any more gel to your head, it's going to be bulletproof," he laughed, jogging out of the library.

There went my day.

I went back to my apartment and read up on my other classes. Even though I didn't have anything pressing to do in those classes, I needed something to do. After a couple of hours, I went back and attempted to get some studying done for the tests. It was difficult…incredibly difficult without my notes, but it was not impossible.

I flipped through the channels and found a marathon of _House_. I sat and watched the episode until I saw some man's testicles explode. After I threw up in my mouth, I turned the TV off and got on my computer. Then I did Em's tape. Out of pure boredom, I logged on to Facebook. I looked to see what my family was up to.

**Emmett Cullen**

_**I can't bring sexy back…Because It NEVER LEFT!**_

I rolled my eyes and commented on his status. I did a simple *eye roll* and scrolled down the page.

**Alice Cullen**

_**My daughter is going to be the prettiest Snow White in her play. They grow up so fast *wipes tear* **_**P.S. I broke down and got a Twitter. Follow me: PrettyPixie.**

I commented, asking her to send me pictures.

Once again, I laughed at Bella's status.

**Bella Swan**

_**Dear Coca Cola, **_

_**Unless you have a new product for me, stop showing commercials. I didn't forget about you. I have never stood at a vending machine and thought, what's that shit in the red can? I promise.**_

_**Thank You.**_

_-__**Bella**_

I liked her status and thought of what to say on mine.

**Edward Cullen**

I tried to think of something witty, inspiring, or interesting to say. I came up with something and wrote the one word that described me.

_**Blah**__._

That was when I saw it.

Tanya had updated her profile picture. It was a picture of her…and him. Riley. They were kissing and his hand was on her butt. I shook my head at the image. I'd never treated her like that…like an object.

I updated my status and quickly logged off. I couldn't take anymore. I put my pajamas on and decided to go to bed early.

The next morning, I was woken up by the sound of my phone ringing instead of my alarm clock.

"Uncle Eddie!" I heard my niece, Alexia, shout into the phone before I could even say hello. She was just like her mother…very energetic and obviously a morning person. "It's me!"

"Hey, sweetie," I said looking to see it was almost eight o'clock in the morning. I had a late day so I hadn't overslept. "How are you?"

"I'm good," she laughed. "I have to go to school, though. I asked to stay home. Mommy wouldn't let me," she complained. "I cried and everything," she huffed. "I miss you. So, I called."

"Awww," I said at her sincerity. "I miss you, too."

"Are you still sad?" she asked.

I rolled my eyes. This was why I hadn't talked to my family a lot since the breakup. They all treated me like a child. Yes, I was sad, but having their pity was a thousand times worse. The fact that my five-year-old niece could sense it said enough. You could only imagine how my parents acted.

"I'm okay, sweetie," I said wiping my eyes and looking for my glasses.

"Who is this?" I heard my sister ask. "Edward?"

"Yeah," I answered rolling over in bed, "Hey, sis."

"Hey!" she yelled as I heard clapping on the other end. "I haven't heard from you in forever. We miss you," she said sadly.

"I know. I'm sorry," I apologized. "School has been hectic," I sighed. I wasn't lying. I just left out the part about not wanting their pity.

"Are you okay?" she asked concerned. "You weren't in the best shape the last time I saw you."

This again.

"I'm better," I admitted.

"Don't lie," she ordered. "I know the Barbie Destroyer has a boyfriend," she said softly.

"Yeah," I mumbled, trying not to think of it.

"Her loss," she said, trying to make me feel better. "Think of it this way. She's that guy's problem now," she laughed a little.

"Mhmm," I sighed getting up. "I have to go. I have class," I lied. "I'll talk to you later."

"You're still coming for New Year's, right?" she asked nervous. "I know that _she'll_ be there. But, it'll kill everyone if you don't come. You can't miss it," she told me. I didn't know how, but she had mastered a pout so good you could sense it a thousand miles away.

Every year, the Cullen's and Denali's had this huge get together week during the New Year's holiday. It was the only time everyone had time off. It was about a month away. To be honest, I wasn't even thinking about it. I missed my family, though. I hadn't seen them in a long time. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't distanced myself.

"Yeah," I answered, looking through a stack of clothes.

"Good," she said releasing a breath. "Talk to you later."

"Bye, Alice," I said hanging up.

But, what if she brought _him_?

I left my apartment around ten thirty and went to school. Nothing too important happened during my classes so I headed to the library again to study. Mike wasn't finished with my notes so I tried my best to read and study that way. I went and grabbed a bag of Doritos and a Coke and took a break. Before I could get back to studying, I felt my phone vibrating. It was a text.

It was Tanya.

**Tanya: **_**Hey**_

**Me: **_**Hey**_

**Tanya: **_**What are you doing?**_

**Me: **_**Nothing. Just studying. You?**_

**Tanya : **_**Figures**_**. **_**I'm hanging with my boyfriend, Riley.**_

**Me: **_**Oh.**_

**Tanya: **_**He's nice.**_

What? Why was she telling me this? Did she even realize?

**Tanya: **_**You'd like him.**_

Was she serious? I wiped the fog from my glasses as a tear fell onto my laptop. She'd moved on. He was probably a great guy. I mean, Tanya liked him. He was probably better than me. Wiping my eyes with the sleeve of my shirt, I pressed the off button to shut down my phone.

**Tanya: **_**We're still friends. Right?**_

She still wanted to be friends. I wanted to _marry_ her and she wanted to be friends. I wiped my eyes again and sighed. I never even thought she'd be my friend. I loved her. If you loved someone, you wanted them to be happy…even if it was not with you. I guess I could be her friend if it made her happy. If she wanted that, I could give it to her.

**Me: **_**Sure**__**.**_

After I replied, I turned my phone off. I couldn't take it anymore. Suddenly, I felt suffocated. People already thought I was a nerd. I didn't want to cry in front of them, too. I gathered my things and drove home in a daze. I immediately hopped into bed and went to sleep. It was either that or start drinking again and I really didn't think that would do me any good, either.

I slept for God knows how long before my phone rang to wake me up. Again.

"What?" I asked slightly agitated. It seemed like every time I dealt with a phone, something bad happened on the other end.

"Edward?" I heard a voice ask somewhat confused.

"Yes," I stated calmly. I wanted to wallow in self-pity in peace.

"It's Bella," the voice answered.

"What's wrong?" I asked, looking for my glasses.

"Um…" she started awkwardly, "We were supposed to meet at five. It's almost six," she said in a somewhat clipped tone.

"Huh?" I asked looking at the clock to see that it was 5:45p.m.

Darn it! I'd forgotten that I was supposed to meet her at the library to tutor her. She was probably mad.

"I'm so sorry," I said gathering my things to go out. "I overslept. I've had a hard day."

"You could've called if you weren't going to come," she huffed. "I've been sitting here collecting dust," she added. "That's rude."

Yep. She was mad.

"I'm coming," I rushed out combing my hair. It had gotten unruly again because of my nap. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

"It's too late now," she said. "I have to pick up my dog from the groomers before six on Fridays or they'll charge me an overnight fee," she sighed. "She'll destroy something if I don't get there in time."

"It's okay," I told her quickly. "You can come here if you want. I doubt dogs are allowed in the library," I laughed a little bit, trying to relieve the tension. She didn't laugh. "You can bring Snooki."

"You sure?" she asked, unsure.

"Yeah," I insisted. I didn't want her to be mad at me. "I told you I'd help you. I meant it."

"Okay," she said. "What's the address?"

Bella was coming. I had a friend coming over.

I gave her my address and started to clean up. Normally, I kept my apartment really clean. However, the past couple of days, I'd let myself slip. Luckily, it wasn't too bad. I just had to pick up clothes and put dishes in the dishwasher. I didn't want Bella to think I was a pig.

I ran to the store across the street from my building when I realized I didn't have any snacks or beverages...except for alcohol. I'd never had friends over to my apartment. I'd never invited anyone, mostly because I never had any friends. I didn't know what to do or buy. So, I just bought one of everything in the snack and candy aisle. I was bound to have bought something she liked. I even bought dog food. Afterwards, I ran back to my apartment to stock the cabinets. As I finished unpacking, I heard the phone to my apartment ring.

"Mr. Cullen?" the concierge started. "There's a…woman named…ah…"

"BELLA!" I heard her shout into the phone. "Edward, he won't let me in!"

"Yes. Mr. Cullen," he started again, sounding a little aggravated. "She said that she's a friend of yours."

"Yeah," I smiled, looking around to see if I'd left anything on the floor, "She's my friend. Send her up."

"I told you!" I heard Bella taunt on the phone before the line went silent.

I took out a pack of Sprite and some chips just as I heard a knocking on my door.

"I'm so sorry," I apologized as she walked through the door with Snooki in her arms. "I don't really have visitors. I've been having a tough couple of…"

"Eh…" she cut me off waving her hands, "We all fuck up from time to time. It's totally understandable," she smiled sitting down.

I smiled as the weight lifted off of my shoulders. I'd hate for her to be mad at me. We'd just started to get to know each other.

She had on one of those white shirts that was cropped off above the stomach, with blue jeans and red suspenders. She was wearing sparkly red shoes with red, blue, and silver bracelets down her arm. She topped the outfit off with a long, light blue wig and a captain's hat. Then, there was the light blue lipstick.

Huh?

"I have a pretty eclectic sense of style," she laughed, obviously noticing my confusion over her outfit. "You'll get used to it," she smiled running her fingers through her wig.

"That's good," I smiled offering her a can of Sprite as I sat down. Snooki hopped from Bella's arms into my lap and sat still.

"Don't do it again, though," she deadpanned. "I'd hate to have to hate you," she raised her eyebrows, taking her books from her bag. "I don't like being stood up."

"Never," I promised quickly. "It'll never happen again."

"You realize I was joking, right?" she asked awkwardly. "Haha?"

"Oh," I said looking out the window.

"You need to stop taking everything so literally, Edward," she advised flipping to a page. "I can tell it's a problem for you."

"I guess it is," I agreed with her before looking at the test and additional questions in the book.

As I thought of a way to explain the problems to her, I heard a loud banging on the door, which caused Snooki to run under the couch.

"Uh…Edward?" Bella asked shyly, "Would you mind if Victoria came in? She's been waiting in the hall. She needed a ride. Her car got…confiscated," she finished after trying to find a better word.

I'd never really met Bella's friend, with the exception of her commentary when Bella rammed into my nose with the door a couple of weeks ago.

"She'll find something else to do. It's fine," she smiled heading to the door. She must have taken my silence as a no.

"She's okay," I rushed to get to the door. "I don't mind."

"Hola," the redhead deadpanned, walking past me into the apartment. "I'm Victoria, Bella's friend," she shook my hand.

"Edward," I introduced myself.

She sat on the couch across from Bella and me and turned on her iPod before closing her eyes.

"See?" Bella smiled. "She's on her best behavior."

"Do you have any alcohol?" Victoria asked immediately after Bella finished her statement. "I have a meeting in two hours that I'd rather be buzzed for when I go," she rolled her eyes.

"Do you mean your _court-ordered AA_ meeting?" Bella asked in disbelief.

"Mhmm," Victoria nodded her head, bobbing to the music. "Vodka would be nice, but tequila will suffice."

Normally, the answer would have been no. However, given recent events, I had stocked up on liquor.

"Um…" I thought getting up, "I have some…"

"No, Victoria," Bella yanked me back down, "It's only 6:30, I'm not going to let you get day-drunk," she hissed. "Have some class."

"But…" Victoria argued.

"No!"

"You're mean," she crossed her arms.

"No, I'm not," Bella laughed shaking her head. "I'm trying to keep you out of jail. You're still on probation," she chided.

"It's only two more months," Victoria pleaded to me. "I only want one shot."

"That's how it started," Bella warned me. "That's how you got your DUI in the first place," she said pointing to Victoria.

Even though they were clearly arguing, you could tell they were really good friends. They were even laughing.

"What happened?" I asked confused. I felt out of the loop.

"Bella and I were at this awesome party last semester. I love to party. Anyway, she left because she had a paper or quiz or something and I was by myself," Victoria started.

"It's not my fault," Bella laughed, flipping her off.

"Anyway, I don't remember much. There was some Grey Goose…strobe lights…and a penis. Then, the next thing I know, I woke up in a jail cell in a pool of my own vomit and missing my left shoe," Victoria laughed.

"What did you do?" I asked laughing. I thought things like that only happened in movies like _The_ _Hangover_.

"She has no clue," Bella laughed. "I got a call at five o'clock in the morning from her, crying and asking me to bail her out."

"And like the best friend she is, she did," Victoria smiled, blowing Bella a kiss.

"And I got your car out of impound," Bella added rolling her eyes. "Do you know how much bail is for someone charged with a DUI, assaulting a police officer, _and_ resisting arrest?" she asked. "You don't want to know," she deadpanned.

"Psssh," Victoria yawned waving her hand. "It's not like we can't…"

"I'm having problems with this entire chapter," Bella told me pointing to her homework. "He might as well teach the material in Swahili," she rolled her eyes as she flipped open her notebook. A thick pile of paper fell out.

"What's that?" I asked pointing to the paper as she put it back in her folder.

"It's my Psychology paper, Mr. Nosy," she smiled, showing me the big "A+" in red ink.

"Nice," I complimented.

"I guess," she shrugged. "It's about children from different economic, social, and racial backgrounds and how they each treat their toys. In my opinion, it said a lot about their character and the person they'll eventually become," she said nonchalantly.

"Interesting," I nodded intrigued.

"Whatever," she shrugged and ate a handful of chips. "My professor wants to publish it. I said no."

"Why?" I asked confused. "Isn't that the goal of most people when they do academic papers?"

"I didn't really find it stimulating," she explained. "Besides, he would've found some bullshit excuse to put his name on it, anyway. It would've pissed me off," she rolled her eyes.

"I never thought of that. Can I read it?" I asked. It seemed really interesting.

"Sure," she shrugged her shoulders, passing it to me. "See. I'm not an idiot. I just can't get _this_ class," she seethed a little at the end. "It's actually…_quite_ annoying," she finished looking off into space. "I'm determined to succeed, though," she growled, getting out her calculator.

I skimmed through the chapter in hopes of finding another way to teach her. After the first thirty minutes passed, she started to get how to do the homework. The makeup test…not so much.

"Uhhhhh!" she shouted, crossing her arms. "I'm so fucking confused," she complained. "I have no clue how I can understand the homework but blank on a test question. This blows me," she huffed. She was clearly frustrated. "I hate this fucking class!"

"Let's take a break," I suggested turning off her calculator slowly. "It's going to be okay."

"Okay," she breathed. "That's a good…"

Before she could finish her sentence, we heard a loud crash from the TV room. We both looked to find Victoria asleep on the couch.

"Damn," Bella shook her head. "Snooki?" she called, walking into the TV room. I followed her.

I'd never seen such a sight in my life. Bella's dog, which had to weigh only five pounds, had knocked over the heavy crystal vase my mom had gotten me to decorate my apartment when I moved here last year. In addition to that, the hyper dog was barking profusely while hopping up and down and chasing her tail. She looked like she was trying to climb the wall.

"Shit," Bella whimpered, picking the dog up. "She's a little hyper," she said awkwardly. "I'll pay for it. I promise. It looked expensive," she said embarrassed.

"It's okay," I shrugged it off, going to get a broom. "It wasn't," I lied. I didn't want her to feel like she had to replace it. I didn't really like that vase much, anyway. Besides, I didn't want her to feel bad that her dog had destroyed a two-thousand-dollar vase. I had the money to buy another one if I wanted it. Not many else did.

"I have some food for her in my car. I'll go get it," she said, going to the door.

"No," I said, grabbing her arm. "I have some dog food," I told her.

"Really?" she asked. "You have a dog?"

"Uh…no," I admitted, blushing. "I knew you were coming. I didn't know if she'd need it," I said petting Snooki's head. "I guess she did."

"Wow," she smiled. "Thanks. That was nice of you."

Together, we cleaned up the glass pieces after I gave Snooki some food.

"That was a useful break," she laughed sitting back down at the table. "Let's do this shit!" she said, bouncing in her seat and looking through her book. While we were cleaning, I'd thought of another way to help her understand. Her phone rang before I could tell her.

"Ugh," she huffed before pushing the ignore button. "Sorry, it's my mother," she apologized, rolling her eyes.

I laughed, causing her to look a little offended. That was not why I was laughing.

"Your r-ringtone," I gasped, holding my stomach laughing. "It's the Imperial March!"

I'd never heard someone have Darth Vader's theme song as a ringtone. For some reason, I found this to be hilarious.

"Oh," she giggled. "It fits. It seems my mother's ringtone should fit one of the greatest villain themes of all time," she smiled.

The phone rang again, causing us to laugh.

"I'd totally have been with the Empire if I was in Star Wars," she said, sipping her Coke.

What? I couldn't believe she'd said that!

"Never!" I argued. "Resistance all the way. You have Luke Skywalker…Princess Leia…Hans Solo. They're fucking awesome."

Her phone rang again.

"Please," she scoffed pressing ignore again, "The Empire had better costumes, better ships, and better theme music. Plus, Darth Vader was pretty badass…even though he was evil as fuck. He's way cooler than all three of them…plus C3PO and R2D2."

"That's blasphemy!" I argued, hurt. I couldn't believe I was hearing this.

"That's fact," she smiled.

"They destroy an entire planet!" I reasoned.

"I didn't say I wanted to be a hero," she laughed.

"They lose at the end!" I told her, scratching Snooki's tummy.

"But they had an awesome adventure," she smiled. "Why are we arguing about this?" she laughed flipping through the book.

I stared at her in awe. Everyone hated the Empire. It was an unspoken rule. You respected Darth Vader. But…you didn't want to be him, at least, in my opinion. Then, as I looked at her, I realized something.

"You look like Padme," I told her as I took a good look at her.

"What?" she asked. "Do not!"

"Do, too."

"Do not," she laughed. "I don't look like Natalie Portman," she rolled her eyes as her phone rang again. "Bitch, stop calling me!" she shouted at her phone before turning it off.

"Do, too," I argued, laughing at her face.

"Let's move on to the next question," she asked, pointing to her tests.

Once I was able to show her an alternate way to work out the problems, she began to understand a lot better. In another hour, we were finished.

"Good," she smiled, wiping imaginary sweat off of her forehead.

"We're done," I smiled at her excitement.

"What time can you meet next week?" she asked me, gathering her things. "I have a test next Friday."

"I can do Wednesday after four," I told her. "I have two tests on the twentieth."

"The twentieth?" she asked, in shock. "Edward, what day is it?"

"Friday," I answered.

"The date?"

"The fifteenth," I told her as Snooki jumped on my lap. She was such a nice dog.

"Shit!" Bella cried, jumping up and scaring Snooki. "I've gotta go," she said, getting her dog and smacking Victoria on her forehead. "Get up, bitch!" she yelled to her friend.

"Fuck you," Victoria mumbled, turning over.

"What's wrong?" I asked, worried.

"I've got a project for a competition in my film class due next weekend," she cried. "I haven't even started editing yet," she rushed. "It's forty percent of my grade. I need to start."

"Oh," I said disappointed. I was hoping she'd stay a little longer. I was having a nice time. It was nice not to be alone. "I hope it turns out okay," I told her as I handed over her book bag.

"Thanks you so much," she hugged me. "I needed this. You have no idea," she smiled and kissed me on the cheek. For the second time, I felt a spark. "Whoa," she giggled touching her lips.

"You're welcome," I smiled, touching my cheek.

"See you later," she said heading to the door, struggling to carry all of her stuff. "Facebook me," she told me as she shut the door behind her.

"Okay," I said to no one in particular.

I looked to see that it was already dark and well past ten o'clock. The evening had certainly flown by. After I did Em's tape, I got on Facebook. I was curious as to what Bella would say. I went to the kitchen to get a snack. There, I found a one hundred dollar bill on the counter attached to a thank you note. It was from Bella. That was nice. I wasn't helping her for the money, though. I didn't need it. I updated my status to provoke her. She'd looked so funny when she was arguing with somebody.

**Edward Cullen**

_**Luke Skywalker is the greatest character in movie history.**_

I laughed, updating my status as a new episode of _House_ came on TV. I glanced to see that Bella had commented.

**Bella Swan**

_**Pfft. I thought we already established that Darth Vader ruled the entire universe. Viva la Empire!**_

**Edward Cullen: **_**Skywalker**_

**Bella Swan: **_**Vader**_

**Edward Cullen: **_**Skywalker**_

**Bella Swan: **_**Vader**_

**Edward Cullen: **_**You realize that Vader is a Skywalker. **_

**Bella Swan: **_**That is neither here nor there. Vader. Period.**_

*Bella Swan has logged offline*

**Edward Cullen: **_**Skywalker**_

I laughed, knowing that I had gotten the last word. Then, my phone buzzed.

**Bella: **_**Vader**_

This went on for an hour and a half. After we agreed to disagree…two times…I went to bed. I was a lot happier.

I spent the rest of the weekend studying to get ready for my tests. Mike never gave me back my notes. I tried calling him, but I didn't get an answer. He must have been busy. So, I was forced to study the book without my normal system. I had gotten back my recent quizzes in my Biochemistry and Anatomy classes. I was pleased to find that I had gotten an "A" on both of them. It gave me more inspiration to do better.

As I was writing notes on some reading that I was doing, I got a text from Bella.

**Bella: We had a pop quiz today in class. Aced it! You're ten shades of awesome! :)**

I smiled. I was happy that she was doing well. She was so frustrated the other day when we were studying.

**Me: Great. I may have helped you, but YOU got the A!**

**Bella: Just take the compliment. Sheesh!**

**Me: See you on Wednesday :)**

**Bella: Okay**

**Me: Skywalker**

**Bella: NEVER!**

Besides that, I spent the rest of my time studying and watching TV. Finally, Wednesday came and I went to class, prepared to take the test and get it over with. The test for my Anatomy class ended up being a lot harder than expected. I ended up being the last person to finish. I wished I could have been confident in my grade. However, I was not too sure.

Once I got to the library, I saw Bella waiting for me on one of the couches. At least, I thought it was her. She was the only person who had on a wig. Today, she had on a red wig that was cut really short and stuck up everywhere.

"Edward!" she smiled getting up. She had on a black shirt with a tiger on it. Her black pants were ripped almost to shreds and she had on red combat boots. "You're here early..." she started before her foot got caught in something and she fell to the floor. A couple of girls at a nearby table started to laugh. Some even pointed.

"What a spaz," one of the girls laughed, pointing at Bella.

"Seriously?" Bella asked, getting up. "What is this, high school?"

"Your balance is about as good as your fashion sense," the rude girl quipped, causing her friends to laugh even more.

Bella walked slowly to their table. "Fuck every…last…one of you," she started, pointing at every person at the table. "Get a life. And while you're at it, get your roots done, bitch!" she finished, walking away.

"Are you okay?" I asked. Those girls had been pretty mean. "You took quite a spill there."

"I'm fine," she brushed some lint off of her pants. "I'm built Ford tough," she joked, causing me to laugh. "How was your test?" she asked as we sat down at a table.

"I don't know," I admitted. "I studied, but it's hard for me to do it without my notes."

"You didn't take any notes?" she asked confused. "That seems unlike you…not that I know you very well."

"I took notes," I defended. "It's just my friend, Mike, had to borrow them."

"He had them all week and didn't give them back?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

"He's had a rough couple of weeks," I shrugged my shoulders. I told her about Mike's migraines and what he'd said had happened to his grandmother…or grandfather. "It's the least I could do."

"Wow," Bella smiled. "That was really nice of you."

I shrugged my shoulders, getting out the materials necessary to help her. I tried to get her attention, but she was looking at something on her phone.

"What are you doing?" I asked. She looked really interested in what she was looking at. I noticed that she had rings on every one of her fingers.

"My dad's…I'm looking at the stock market," she said. "I'm doing a paper on the current state of Wall Street…interesting stuff," she rolled her eyes, laughing.

We started studying. Luckily, she understood this topic a lot better than what we did during our previous session. She grasped it a lot quicker. We were in the middle of a practice when her phone rang. This time, it was the James Bond theme song. She laughed.

"Sorry," she apologized, "I need to take this. It's my dad. I'll be right back," she told me as she walked outside.

I took the break to get a bottle of Coke and some pretzels before she came back.

"Let's take a break," she said, sitting back down. "Where are you from?" she asked, taking a pretzel out of the bag.

"Connecticut," I answered, flipping through the book.

"You aren't going to ask me anything?" Bella asked, confused. "That's how twenty questions works."

"Oh," I said, confused. I didn't know we were playing a game. "Where are you from?"

"New York," she answered, rolling her eyes. "That's cheating. You can't repeat a question."

"Okay then," I paused, thinking of something, "What's your favorite color?"

"Green," she said, looking at the clock. "Your eyes are green…like _really_ green."

"I know," I frowned a little. "They look fake."

In middle school, someone started a rumor that I had a glass eye and that was why my eyes were so green. I never lived it down.

"They look awesome," she complimented. "I've never seen a color like that. You should wear contacts so you can see them better," she suggested.

"Ew," I shook my entire body. She laughed. "The thought of touching my eyeball…it's just too much. I can't."

"Fine. Forget I said anything," she giggled. "Favorite ice cream flavor?"

"Vanilla," I admitted, a little ashamed. Whose favorite flavor was vanilla? It was so…bland. But, I loved it. "It's plain…like me."

"You're not plain, and neither is vanilla. It's a warm, rich flavor that's the epitome of smoothness and creaminess on the tongue. It's complex and yet comforting and unpretentious," she protested. "Everyone is extraordinary in their own way, Edward. My favorite is plain chocolate, so I'm not much better."

Talking with her was so easy. I was glad she had knocked into my face with the door. She was a good friend. She didn't talk to me like I was a loser.

"Why do you wear wigs all the time?" I asked, interested.

For a second, Bella's smiled faded and she touched her wig like she was self-conscious.

"I'm not trying to be mean," I recovered. I didn't want to make her feel bad. "You don't have to answer. It just…you have such pretty hair. I don't see why you'd hide it."

"I know you aren't being mean," she whispered. "I don't think you have it in you to be mean," she added, somberly. "I…"

"Hey, Eric!" Mike said, slapping my back and sitting down next to Bella. "Bella," he said looking her up and down in a way I didn't think was appropriate.

"Fuck off, Mike," Bella rolled her eyes and scooted her chair away.

"Anyway," he said turning to me. "Thanks for the notes, buddy. They were a lifesaver," he told me as he put them on the table. Some pages were torn, others were wrinkled, and one page had a coffee stain on it. "I was thinking that maybe we could be study partners or something," he said, pulling out another piece of paper.

"Wait a minute," Bella interrupted, looking at me. "Mike Newton is your partner?" she asked, with a hint of pity. I didn't know why.

"Yeah," I said, straightening out my papers.

"Mike, you're such a fucking asshole," Bella seethed, punching his arm hard.

"What?" he asked.

"Edward," Bella looked into my eyes. "I don't think you should work with Mike anymore," she told me.

"Shut it, Bella," Mike hissed, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "Me and Ed are buddies. Right, Eddie?"

"Edward?" Bella asked, looking into my eyes. It was like she was pleading with me to say no. I didn't want to disappoint her, but I didn't want Mike to be mad at me, either.

"I-I-I…" I stuttered.

"This is a new low, Mike," Bella shook her head in disgust, "Even for you."

"I swear to God, Bella…" Mike started.

"If you don't leave him alone, I'll tell Jessica you fingered Victoria at the Kappa Sig party last week," Bella promised.

"Bitch!" Mike spat, storming away from the table.

"Are you ready to start again?" she asked, her smile not reaching her eyes.

"Um…okay," I said, starting back where we'd left off.

We finished the last hour and a half, but you couldn't overlook the elephant in the room. Why did Bella hate Mike? What was his new low? What did that have to do with me?

We were walking to our cars when I felt the need to ask her.

"Bella, what were you mad at Mike about?" I asked. "You were really mad."

"He's just an asshole," she sighed. "We're friends, right?"

"Of course," I smiled.

At the rate we were going, she was probably my best friend. She was just so easy to get along with.

"Good," she smiled in return. "Then I'm giving you some friendly advice. Don't help Mike. He's not your friend," she said frowning.

"What do you mean?" I asked her. She stepped away like she didn't want to answer. "Bella," I sighed, pleading. "What are you talking about?"

"He's using you, Edward," she cringed. "Mike doesn't have migraines. His grandfather didn't die, nor his grandmother," she admitted. "He's been lying to you to get you to do all of the work."

"That's not true," I said, hurt. I knew Mike and I weren't close friends, but I didn't think he'd lie about something like that.

"Yeah, it is," she said awkwardly. "He's been…laughing about it…about you…for the past couple of weeks behind your back," she admitted. "I didn't know he was talking about you. I thought his partner's name was Evan."

"Oh," I whispered, eager to get in my car, my head hung low. "Well, I'll see you later."

"Okay," she said nodding. "I really am your friend, Edward," she hugged me. "Fuck Mike, he's not worthy of your friendship." She laughed a little as the James Bond ringtone sounded again. "I have to go."

"Okay, bye," I said getting into my car and driving away.

When I got home, I followed the same routine. Study. Workout. _House_. Then, I started thinking of how monotonous it was. I was so plain…such a loser.

Was this why I didn't have any friends?

Was this why Tanya had left me?

Did everyone talk bad about me behind my back?

Why did everyone I considered to be my friend end up hurting me? Could they sense I was weak?

I drank a couple of shots of vodka and went to bed feeling sorry for myself. For the first time in my life, I skipped school on Thursday. Then, I skipped Friday, too. I needed to get off of the ride for a bit. However, my short enlightenment period came to a halt when I discovered that I had stepped on my glasses. Then, I ran out of hair gel.

"Fuck!" I shouted out loud for the first time in my life.

Could anything go right?

I called my doctor to get a replacement for my glasses. They said they didn't have my regular thick black plastic frames and recommended a lightweight bronze-colored wire frame that was made of titanium and apparently very popular. I wasn't happy, but agreed to it since I trusted the technician who usually helped me and she had good taste as far as I could tell.

I hadn't shaved for a few days, but I didn't care. I went out in my pajamas, which happened to be a plain white t-shirt and some track pants to pick up my prescription. While I was out, I picked up some more hair gel. It was an interesting adventure. For some reason, people kept staring at me.

It was kind of late, so I decided to get some Starbucks. Healthy, I know. When I walked in, I saw a strange sight.

It was Bella. She was dressed normally...and she was crying.

What was wrong?

**I know I've said that I was going to add some things to the story. I planned on adding deleted aspects of the story. However, that won't start until B and E actually get to see E's family.**


	4. Chapter 4

**EMOTIONAL WARFARE**

**I don't own Twilight. **

**Chapter 4**

**BELLA**

Edward was thirty minutes late. He was supposed to be meeting me to help tutor me in Calc. Did he stand me up? I guessed he had so I gathered my books to go home.

"Hey, Bella," Mike's pervy ass stopped me in the parking lot. "Wanna go do…something?" he asked, his gaze lingering on my body as he moved to touch my wig.

"Hell no, and the answer is never going to change," I swatted his hand away. "Don't you have something to do?"

Seriously. Every time I saw that creep, he was annoying somebody. Last I'd heard, he was supposed to be in med school. How did that happen?

"No," he gloated, laughing. "I have this guy…Evan or something. He does all the work. He thinks I'm dying of migraines," he added, shaking with laughter. "Seriously. It probably makes his day that I let him do all the work for me. Easiest "A" ever."

I didn't even know Mike's partner, but I felt bad for him. It looked like Newton had found yet another naïve soul to sponge off of.

"Fuck off," I sneered walking to my car and getting out my phone to call Edward. I noticed two missed calls. Mom. "No thanks," I said out loud as I erased the call history.

"Ms. Swan?" Dr. Parish, my Psychology professor approached me. "We missed you in class today," he accused, trying to make me feel bad.

"Yeah?" I asked a little scared. I had skipped my Psych class on Tuesday. I didn't feel like going. Honestly, I felt a little bad about the fact that I came to class and then left as he was walking in. I wasn't feeling it that day. "Sorry," I apologized.

I was not going to say that I didn't feel well. I was not a bullshitter.

"I just wanted to congratulate you on your outstanding paper," he praised, pulling out my paper. It had a big fat red "A" on it. "I rarely give these out," he smiled. "When are you going to stop making me chase you and become a Psychology major? You could be the next Freud. This paper is genius," he told me, handing over the paper. I forgot what I'd even discussed in the paper until I read the title.

Dr. Parish has been trying to get me to be a Psych major since I was a freshman. He called me the next Freud…Skinner…any psychologist he thought would persuade me to join him. I was not buying it. Plus, it was a little weird that he stared at me funny when he talked to me. I wanted to tell him my eyes were higher up.

"Ah…" I joked awkwardly, waving my phone, "I'm…playing the field right now," I said walking to my car.

"You should at least publish it," he requested, looking hopeful.

"Nah," I shook my head. "Leave that to the real psychologists," I finished, starting my car.

The problem was this wasn't the first time someone had asked to publish a work of mine. I'd always felt…guilty. Here I was, taking practically zero to no pride in my schoolwork. After a while, school became easy to me. It came natural. I was trained…bred…to achieve excellence, or as _she _had said, I was to be "a _champion_." In a way, it made me feel like shit that I was handed opportunities others worked hard for and never got.

I decided that was enough hard thinking for today.

I pulled out my cell phone to yell at Edward for standing me up. When he answered the phone, I was fully prepared to tear him a new asshole for making me wait, but he seemed so upset. I couldn't be made at him for long. I wanted to reschedule for another day. Once again, his eagerness convinced me to go against my grain. He sounded excited at the thought of having a friend over. I didn't want to disappoint him. So, I said okay.

"You're going over his house?" Victoria asked as she slipped into the car. "You don't know him!"

"He's harmless," I argued, plugging Edward's address into the GPS system in my car. "I need help with this class. I can't fail."

"Drop the class," she advised, poking my forehead.

"And admit defeat?" I shook my head, thinking about the condescending sneer my Calc II professor had had on his face as he handed back my test. "Never. Bella Swan does not fail."

"Bella, getting an 'A' in a class isn't worth having some weirdo guy kill you and…"

"He's not a weirdo," I defended, rolling my eyes. "If anyone is a weirdo, it's me," I pointed to my wig and my outfit.

"Well, I'm coming," she demanded. "He can't kill both of us."

Victoria's promise didn't mean shit. As soon as she stepped inside, she asked for a drink and went to sleep. Some bodyguard she was. Edward was cool, anyway. I was surprised at how awesome a selection of snacks he had. If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought he'd gone grocery shopping before we came. Also, he was a great teacher. In my opinion, he was a better teacher than my professor. He didn't make me feel stupid for asking a question. Also, he was cool when Snooki broke his vase. He said it wasn't expensive. It was obvious he was lying. I didn't press the issue. I would just buy him a new one. Overall, I was surprised at how cool he was. I was shocked that he didn't have more friends. I was a little disappointed that he preferred Luke Skywalker over Darth Vader, though.

Seriously?

He even took the argument to Facebook later that resulted in a two-hour debate via text message. Yeah, Edward Cullen was a cool guy. I considered him a friend.

Doing work for my Calc II class became a lot easier after that. I actually began to understand the material. The highlight of my week was when my douchebag professor gave a pop quiz and I got an "A" on it. It made my day and I couldn't wait to share the good news with someone so I texted Edward to thank him for his help. Days passed and soon I was in the library waiting for Edward to show up. He had better not be late again or I would kick his ass. I felt my phone buzzing, signaling that I had a new voicemail. It was my mother.

"_**Bella**__,"_ I could hear her take in a huge breath before huffing it out. She said my name with such disdain and disappointment. Fuck her. _**"Suddenly, getting in contact with you has become very difficult. Why? Stop being a bitch and answer the phone. I need to tell you something,"**_she ordered before hanging up.

Wow. A whole seven seconds. That was a record for her.

"**Message** **erased**," the computer voice said as I pressed the number seven on my phone, deleting the message. Now I was really not going to answer.

To pass the time, I took out my computer and started to edit my video project that was due soon.

"Hey," Victoria greeted, sitting across from me. "What time are you going to be done?"

"No clue," I answered.

"Damn," she huffed. "What's this?" she asked, pointing to a paper I'd gotten back recently.

"That history paper," I said, looking over some footage.

"You got an 'A' on it?" she questioned. "You did it in like six hours," she said in disbelief. "You're so annoying."

"Don't blame me," I ordered, "Blame Renee."

After she left, I spent another five minutes on my video until I got bored. I was not feeling it. I didn't even know why I'd signed up for that class. I rested my head until I saw Edward coming through the doors.

Our session went a little differently, starting with me busting my ass in front of some obvious freshman. Before we could start, I felt my phone buzzing again. I stifled an internal scream, looking at the screen and expecting another call from my mother. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the sender.

**Dad: I have a business meeting in five minutes. Wish me luck!**

**Me: Luck!**

I smiled and sent my quick reply. It was the first time I'd heard from him in…I didn't know how long. He was always doing something. He did send me a birthday card, though.

My surprise doubled when his ringtone sounded. He was calling me? I giggled at this. I took a break from studying to take the call. I wondered what he was calling about.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Isabella?" the voice of who I assumed to be my dad's assistant answered.

"I prefer Bella," I corrected.

"Okay, Bella," she switched. "I have your father on the line for you," she said, patching me through.

"Bella?" dad asked. "Sweetness?"

"Hey, Daddy," I beamed, taking a seat on a nearby bench.

"You're on speaker, honey," he warned me.

"Of course," I giggled. "The other requires you to touch the phone."

"How are you?" he questioned.

"I'm fine, you?"

"Great. Thanks for asking."

"Uh…" I started, trying to think of something else to say. This was the longest conversation we'd had in quite some time. "How was your meeting?" I asked, remembering the text he'd sent before he called.

"Great as usual," he claimed. "The sale went off without a hitch. I even got it for cheaper than I thought," he laughed a little. "They don't even put up a fight anymore."

"Who would?" I teased, picking lint off of my pants. "Where are you?"

"Japan," he revealed. "Next stop is Beijing."

"Is something wrong?" I asked, cutting to the chase. It was a little odd that he'd call me out of the blue. "I haven't heard from you in forever and…"

"I've just been busy, sweetie. You know that," he excused.

"I know," I agreed sadly.

I understood that my father was a busy man…an _important_ busy man, but sometimes he acted like calling his daughter would bankrupt him.

"What are you doing this weekend?" he asked. I wasn't expecting that question.

"Um, nothing I guess."

"Dinner on Friday?" he asked. "I'll be in the states after tomorrow. I was going to land at JFK, and then I thought, why not spend the weekend with my baby girl? Are you up for it?"

"Sure!" I answered smiling and excited.

Even though he was busy, dad always made an effort to spend at least one weekend out of the year with me. Mostly, we lounged around and did nothing, but it was just nice to have him come and visit, regardless of what we did.

"Great," he confirmed. "Friday at eight, I'll pick you up,"

"See you then," I replied, hanging up the phone.

This day was turning out to be pretty good. I went back to studying with a new attitude. Edward, however, was still a little stiff. So, I played twenty questions. It seemed like a nice way to get to know each other. He was a little stiff at first, but he opened up. He could be really funny when he lightened up. Things got a little awkward when he asked about my hair. It had been a sensitive subject for me ever since I could remember. I was figuring out a way to talk around it when Newton came along and fucked everything up.

It turned out that Mike's partner was Edward…not someone named Evan. Douchebag. Mike was using the man, making him waste hours of his life doing the lowlife ass's work and he couldn't even find the decency to figure out his victim's fucking name. Come on!

People were mean. But, _rich_ people were assholes, most of them, anyway.

Luckily, I was able to use my bitchy ways to scare him off before he made Edward his unwitting slave. It was then I realized that Edward was nice…to a fault. Friend or not, I would have made Victoria do _some_ of the work. I felt a little sorry for Edward that he didn't realize Mike had been lying and using him. The elephant in the room was big and stinky after that. I couldn't run the risk of Mike catching him when I wasn't there and latching on to him again, so I told him the truth. Then, I instantly felt bad as I looked at his face. He'd thought that asshole was his friend. Friends didn't do shit like that to friends. Now that Edward and I were buddies, I hoped that I could show him that. He was too good and kind a person to be abused that way. If he grew a stronger backbone in the process, that would be a bonus.

"Charlie's coming?" Victoria blushed, looking around the house.

"Yeah," I rolled my eyes. Her smile widened. "Victoria," I warned. "Don't!"

"What?" she inquired giggling. "Come on! Your dad is hot!"

"No, he isn't!"

"Of course you think that," she reasoned. "He's your dad."

Since we'd hit puberty, Victoria had developed a crush on my father. She called him the ultimate DILF. It was unsettling to say the least.

"This has got to stop," I told her as I started cleaning up my room.

"I need to go get waxed," she teased.

"Victoria," I laughed, throwing a sock at her, "Stop!"

"I'd make a great stepmom, Bella," she urged, fixing her makeup in the mirror.

"I'll kill you," I warned her.

"Don't take that tone with me, young lady," she snorted.

"Ugh," I sneered, going to clean up the kitchen.

The next couple of days, I spent most of my time getting the house ready and thinking of stuff dad and I could do. There was a street fair that would be in town this weekend. Maybe we could go to that. Or possibly see a movie. I was excited that I'd get to see him for the first time in around a year.

Finally, Friday came around and I was in my room getting dressed. I decided on a simpler look. I chose this cool asymmetrical dress I'd found at Goodwill. It started out as gray at the top and gradually faded to a cream color at the bottom. I'd found some awesome sparkly silver shoes and costume jewelry at a yard sale that I could wear with it. Then I put on my favorite set of bangles. They were made out of wood with gold studs on them. They went all the way up my arm.

I had one fashion weakness…bangles. I loved them. When I saw a cute set, I couldn't resist. I had to admit, I'd spent five thousand dollars on a set before. Then, I felt guilty and donated ten thousand dollars to charity. What could I say? Every Achilles had a heel.

I sifted through the wigs in my closet to see which one called to me. After a couple of minutes of debating, I chose a medium-length dirty-blond wig that was cut in extreme layers. It feathered out a little bit and was kind of cool. I looked myself over in the mirror and gave myself the okay. To pass the time, I started working on the video that was due next week.

"Hot stuff," Victoria complimented, walking into my room and doing the clichéd touch and sizzle thing. "Do you have a pair of shoes I can borrow? I have a date tonight."

"Have at it," I consented. "Who's the guy this time?"

"Gregory Wilkins," she informed, trying on one shoe on each foot. "His name is ugly…but his face is hot."

"I know him," I remembered. "He's in my Modern Lit class. He's a real know-it-all."

"That's funny," she grinned, "He said the same thing about you."

"Pssh," I rolled my eyes. "He's just mad that Dr. Fowler is always crawling up my ass and won't give him a second look," I scoffed. It was true.

"Well…you are a champion," she conceded, walking out to model how the shoes went with her outfit.

"Fuck you!" I shouted while shaking my head no on the shoes.

She knew I hated the word _champion_.

_My champion_

Shut up, voice.

"He's very sure that his project is better than yours," she smiled. "He worked all month on it."

"Which one?"

"The freestyle fifty-page short story," she elaborated. "What did you do yours on?"

"Karma," I snickered, looking at the clock.

Dad should be here any minute.

"Seriously?" she howled in laughter. "You wrote that in the eleventh grade!"

"Tenth," I corrected. "I forgot the date it was due. So, I recycled it."

"You know, Bella," Vic shook her head playfully, "You really piss me off sometimes," she finished, throwing my paper in my face.

"I love you, too," I smiled then put my hand over my heart when she flipped me off.

"Seriously," she started again, checking her makeup in the mirror, "If you weren't having problems in that math class, I'd think you were an alien."

"I'll take that as a compliment," I rolled my eyes, editing a bit of the video.

"Why are you still taking that shit class anyway?" she asked, looking at me in amazement. "You got a twenty-five on a test…a twenty-five," she repeated for emphasis. "I'd assumed that you would've dropped it."

"I considered it," I told her, looking at the script for the eightieth time. "Edward told me he'd help me, though."

"And he is…?" she led off, not knowing who he was.

"The guy I hit with the door the other day," I told her, her face lighting up in recognition.

"Oh, him," she nodded her head. "The geeky…nerdy…guy," she finished, going through my shoe closet.

"Don't call him that," I demanded.

"Oooh," she giggled, "Someone has a crush."

"It's not a crush," I told her honestly. "He's just a nice guy. You shouldn't insult him like that."

I could tell from our brief encounters that Edward was a genuinely nice person. I didn't think people like that actually existed. I mean, who would give a stranger who was having a mental breakdown in a parking lot a ride with no questions asked? Especially someone with a style like mine? Edward was a good person. I had a feeling that he'd be a great friend, too. He just seemed a little… sad. It was like he was always thinking about something upsetting.

"I've always wanted to fuck a nerd," Vic interrupted my thoughts, walking around in a pair of my red peep-toed shoes. "He could pound my pussy…then fix my computer. They're scared of me, though," she said, thinking. "I always end up with assholes who love to get in bar fights."

"The male versions of you," I smiled as she punched my boob. "He's a good friend," I said, putting my books in my book bag.

"I hope he's a good tutor. I'd hate to be you when the Wicked Bitch of the West finds out you got a grade that was less than perfect," she rolled her eyes.

As soon as she rolled her eyes, my phone rang.

Mom.

"Speak of the She-devil," I said, putting my phone in my bag.

"Are you ever going to answer her?" Vic snickered, heading out the door.

"Eventually," I sighed.

I sat on the couch in the living room, waiting for my dad. Another twenty minutes passed before a Bentley pulled in front of the house. Smiling, I grabbed my sparkly purse and locked the door behind me.

"Hey, Daddy," I greeted, sliding into the car to be met with silence.

"Mr. Swan will meet you at the restaurant," the voice of the driver informed me pulling off.

I pulled out my iPod and relaxed until the car came to a stop. I walked into the restaurant and immediately felt out of place. I hated pretentious places like these. I always had. Pretentious people paid obscene amounts of money for pretentious food when all it did was end up in the toilet anyway. It was very…pretentious.

"Your father is waiting for you, Ms. Swan," the hostess greeted, leading me to an exclusive part of the restaurant.

"Daddy!" I blurted, running across to hug him.

"Hey, sweetie," he hugged me in return. "I'm sorry I couldn't pick you up."

"It's alright. I'm just happy to see you," I sat on his lap.

"Me, too," he kissed me on the cheek. "I can't believe it's been a year since I've seen my baby girl."

"It's okay," I lied. It was not okay. "I know you're busy, Daddy."

"How did I get so lucky?" he asked. "I have such an awesome daughter."

"We're just lucky I guess," I shrugged my shoulders. "I have a megawatt awesome paternal figure," I joked, causing him to laugh.

"I'm all yours for the weekend," he told me. "I'm officially shutting off my phone."

"Hello, my name is Patrick. I'm the owner of _Shout_," he introduced himself. "I'd like to personally welcome you, Mr. Swan," he rushed. I could tell he was nervous. "If there's anything you need…even if it's not on the menu, I'll try my best to accommodate you."

_Ass kisser._

"I'm sure that won't be necessary," dad nodded his head.

"Thank you," I told him as he walked away. "Oh…to be the mighty Charlie Swan," I teased, poking him.

"Here you go," he smiled, putting a stack of presents on the table. There were five of them, each expertly wrapped and stacked together with a big bow around them.

"Dad," I scolded, "You know I don't like presents."

I felt guilty that there were people in the world who were struggling to eat, yet he blew thousands upon thousands of dollars on presents to make up for not being present in my life. Christmas sucked…big time.

"I know," he admitted, rolling his eyes. "I just want to say I'm sorry. I think you'll like them, though," he grinned, pointing to them. "Open."

"Only to appease you…" I rolled my eyes, opening the presents.

"I got them from India," he gloated as I held the sparkling bangles in the light. The first was a set of two thick gold bangles adorned with rubies and diamonds. It dropped down below my wrist in a teardrop shape. The next was silver with sapphires. Another was made of platinum and emeralds. Then there was another made of gold, inlaid with pearls and pink diamonds. The last one was silver, with onyx and yellow diamonds.

"Thanks," I accepted, putting the presents back in the boxes.

"I knew you'd like them," he said, looking at the menu. "What's on the agenda?"

"I was thinking about this outdoor fair thing…or maybe a movie…or we can just lounge around…"

"Hello, my name is Tina," a woman interrupted, giving my father the eye. "I'll be your waitress. If there's anything I can do…" she led off.

"I'll let you know," I dismissed her curtly, giving her a bitch face. I did not want some skanky waitress ruining my only dinner with my dad.

"You know you're my only girl," he kissed my forehead. "How is school?"

"It's school," I rolled my eyes.

"Have you picked a major yet?" he grinned, knowing the answer.

"Nope, nothing yet, I've yet to be stimulated."

"Well…" he waved his hand, "Find your center."

"I'm trying."

"Try harder," I heard the unmistakable sneer of my mother enter the room.

What the fuck? He'd invited her?

"Shit," dad whispered. "Damn it, Renee, what are you doing here?"

"Relax, Charlie," she waved him off, "I'm not here for _you_. I want to talk to my champion over here," she replied, snapping her fingers and demanding an extra chair to be moved to our table.

That was my mother's nickname for me…her champion. It made my skin crawl. She had to have the best in everything. Clothes…cars…houses…children.

"Mom, what are you…?"

"Stand up," she demanded, staring into my eyes.

"What?"

"Stand up," she repeated. "I want to see what you're wearing."

"Fine," I relented, standing up and then turning around. "Happy?"

"Hardly," she shook her head. "What are you wearing? What happened to the clothes I sent you?"

"I donated them."

"What?" she seethed. "Those clothes were worth thousands of dollars and you gave them to… _poor people_?" she asked, her voice riddled with disgust.

"You know I don't like designer clothes."

"Oh, please," she scoffed.

"Renee," dad interrupted.

"No," she started again, "Most people would've killed for those clothes."

"I'm not most people," I defended, sitting down.

"Oh, God," she huffed, "Those shoes…that purse…that damn wig," she shook her head. "Do you shop at the thrift store?"

"Yes."

"Oh, God," she gagged. "Take that wig off right this minute!" she demanded.

"No!" I raged. "It's your fault why I wear them, anyway."

"You've got to get over that, Bella," she rolled her eyes. "It was an honest mistake."

"I was seven!" I pointed out, touching my wig defensively.

"Ladies!" dad stood up, trying to regain order. "Calm down."

"You can't even tell," she mumbled, sitting down.

"For God's sake," dad face-palmed himself, "Shut the fuck up, Renee."

"How is school?" she asked, looking over the menu.

"It's fine."

"I didn't ask how _you_ were," she rolled her eyes. "I asked how school was…as in grades."

"I have A's in every class," I smiled. Then, I remembered my Calc class, "Except one… my Calc II class."

"What's wrong?" dad asked.

"I've having some trouble," I admitted, taking a sip of water. "It's okay. I have a tutor."

"Define trouble," mom ordered.

"I probably have a C in there," I said, after taking into account the quiz I took and averaging in the makeup test.

"What?" she asked in disbelief. "You have a '_C_?' That's impossible. Swans don't get…'C's,'" she sneered, shivering at the word. "We're champions."

"If I do well on the final, I could get a 'B'."

"Ugh…that's even worse. You might as well get an 'F'," she reasoned. That was how her mind worked…in extremes. "What happened?"

"Renee!" dad warned.

"I'm sorry," she deadpanned. "I don't celebrate mediocrity. You shouldn't, either."

"It's okay, Dad," I calmed him down. "I'm used to it," I forced a smile, shaking my head.

"Drop the class."

"She can't," dad said. "It's past the drop deadline. The semester is almost over."

"I'll make a call," she sneered. "The rules don't apply to us. You should've told me sooner."

"She's handling it," dad defended me. "Let her deal with it, Renee."

"So what if I get a 'B'?" I laughed. "I'll have a 3.99997 GPA. Get over it, Mother."

"That cavalier attitude is what I don't understand," mom raged. "You're attractive…well-bred…"

"Don't say well-bred," dad interrupted. "You make her sound like a fucking racehorse."

"Please stop," I begged. At this point, I was sure everyone in the restaurant could hear us.

"Excuse me," Tina came back in smiling. "Are you ready to…?"

"Oh, God," mom giggled. "Sweetie, button up your blouse. Charlie Swan isn't going to have sex with a _waitress_," she finished. "Well…maybe he would."

"I'm sorry," I apologized for my mother's rudeness. "What were you saying?"

"I was just asking if you all were ready to order."

"What's the best thing you have?" mom replied, looking over the menu.

"There's the pecan-crusted…"

"We'll take it," she cut her off. "Also, add your best wine and your best dessert."

"Actually," dad interrupted, "I'll have the steak."

"I'll have the chicken salad," I added, handing the waitress my menu.

"Why?" mom rolled her eyes. "It's the best they have."

"Maybe because I'm allergic to nuts?" I deadpanned.

I couldn't believe she didn't know that.

"Since when?"

"Birth," I told her. "Remember? I ate a Payday candy bar by accident. I was in the hospital for a week. I almost died."

"When did _that_ happen?"

"I was nine, Mom."

She and Phil were in Paris when it happened. Only my nanny and Victoria visited me in the hospital. Dad was in the middle of a hostile corporate takeover and couldn't make it.

"Oh," she shrugged before checking her makeup.

"Dad's allergic, too," I pointed out. "Did you forget that?"

"You can't expect me to…"

"Excuse me," Tina whispered, raising her hand.

"Yes?" we all answered.

"I have the phone for you, Mr. Swan," she said. "They said your phone isn't on and it's important," she handed him the phone.

"Damn," he griped, getting up and stepping into the hallway to take the call.

"I have a friend in Milan," mom started, sipping from her glass of wine. "He's looking for some models to work in the summer. I showed him your picture and he said you were stunning. He wants you for the shoot in Paris…Milan…Madrid…Rome. Interested?"

"No," I stated simply. "I'm not a model. That's not my deal."

"You enjoyed it in high school."

"No," I contradict, "You _made_ me do it in high school, and I hated it. That's not for me," I tried to decline respectfully.

"Damn it!" she huffed.

"Sorry," I shrugged my shoulders.

"If you'd listened to me, you'd be on a yacht somewhere fucking Leonardo DiCaprio," she said, looking off into space.

"He's like…almost twenty years older than me," I guessed. "Ew!"

"Oh, get over yourself," she chided as dad came back.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," he kissed my forehead before grabbing his jacket. "I have to catch the redeye to London," he apologized.

"But, Daddy…" I paused, "You said that we…"

"I know," he looked at me sadly. "I have to be there. If it makes you feel better, I'm about to fire a massive amount of people," he smiled. I didn't smile back. "I'm sorry," he said, throwing five hundred dollars on the table and leaving.

"Good riddance," mom said, taking another large sip of her wine.

"I'm not hungry anymore and I've had a long day," I lied getting up. There was no way in Hell I was spending the rest of the evening in close quarters with that bitch. I was getting out while I still had the chance.

"Bella!" Renee called after me as I exited the restaurant.

"What?" I asked annoyed. I just wanted this night to be over.

"Phil and I are having a baby," she announced in a stern voice.

"What?"

Just when I thought she couldn't shock me anymore…

"I've been trying to tell you. You refused to answer your phone."

"How far along?"

"Six weeks," she told me, cradling her stomach. "I'm not getting any younger," she added.

Was she having a baby to prove to herself that she was not old? I felt sorry for the kid already.

"I hope it goes well," I said emotionlessly. "Call me or whatever when its born," I said, backing up slowly to walk away.

"Yeah," she smiled widely. "It's nice to have a second chance. You know? To do it right and not make so many mistakes this time."

Did I hear her correctly?

"What?" I asked slowly. "What do you mean you want to 'do it right' or not 'make any mistakes?'"

"It's just that…the relationship between us isn't really ideal."

"So…you're replacing me in hopes of the second kid coming out better?"

"That's not what I meant. It's just that…maybe this one will be more my speed."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing," I stepped closer. "You can't program your children to do what you want," I told her. "In case you haven't figured it out," I pointed to myself, "It doesn't work."

This woman had ruined my childhood. Now, she wanted to subject another innocent child to her cruel behavior. I was scared at how this would play out.

"Oh, give it a rest. It's not all about you," she harshly retorted. "I gave you every opportunity possible. Sports training, dance lessons, language lessons, tutors, personal trainers, violin lessons…Hell, I got you a modeling contract when you were twelve," she spat. "You've _repeatedly_ pissed away _every_ opportunity I've given you."

"I didn't ask for any of it!" I replied. "You forced all of that shit on me…trying to mold me into your image, your fucking ideal prodigy…your goddamn '_champion_.' You've never liked how I've looked or acted when I was just trying to be me," I choked, pulling off my wig and taking my hair down. "You never did, and now I don't really know who _I_ am. But guess what?" I said walking away. "This is the price of being raised by you," I finished, walking away.

"Hopefully, this one will be more grateful!" she shouted behind me before I heard the sound of her limo driving away.

I took my iPod out of my purse and started walking. I needed to blow off some steam. I didn't pay attention to my phone ringing or my feet hurting. I just listened to the music and walked. Eventually, my playlist ended and my sore feet got the best of me. So, I walked into the first building I put my hands on, a Starbucks. Great.

I sat at the nearest table, content to wallow in misery until I felt like calling a cab.

"Miss?" a barista walked up to my table, "These tables are for customers," she said.

"Fine," I whimpered, throwing a one hundred dollar bill on the table. "Will you leave me alone now?"

She took the money and left my table. So, I guess that was a yes.

I'd had such high expectations for my evening….my weekend. And it all went to shit in a matter of minutes. Suddenly, I felt my vision start to blur before I felt a tear sliding down my cheek.

Fuck. Now, I was crying. I hadn't done that in _years_. If I searched my brain, which I didn't feel like doing, I'd probably find the last reason for my tears was another situation involving my parents.

It got to the point where I was bawling uncontrollably. People started to point and stare. Some left, probably because they felt uncomfortable. I didn't give a shit.

"Ma'am, you're making the customers uncomfortable," the same barista came back to the table.

"Sorry," I apologized, this time putting two hundred dollars on the table. "Drinks on me," I announced to everyone as she walked away again with my money.

I put my head in my hands, continuing my sobs. Why was I even crying? It was not the first time this had happened.

"Bella," I heard a familiar voice call my name before I felt a tap on my shoulder that sent a shock through my body.

"Edward?" I asked, not looking at his face. Don't ask me how I knew it was him. I just did.

"Yeah," he confirmed, pulling up a chair to sit across from me. "Are you okay?"

"Uh huh," I shook my head from behind my hands as I turned my body around to face the window. I didn't like people I knew to see me cry. It made me feel weak.

"Liar," he called me out. "You're crying in the middle of a Starbucks."

"So?" I shook my head, wiping my eyes.

"You're definitely not okay," he pointed out, rubbing my back. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I'm just having a bad day, that's all," I excused, giving a Cliff notes version of what had happened. I didn't mention how my mother was planning to replace me because I was a disappointment to her or that I was not worth my father's time.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, still patting my back as my stomach growled. "Have you eaten?"

I shook my head. "I should've eaten," I mumbled, rubbing my stomach.

"Huh?"

"Nothing," I lied. I didn't feel like sharing my life story.

"You should eat something," he advised, pulling my hair away from my face.

"Hi!" the barista came to my table again. I was not giving her ass any more money. "My name is Amber," I heard her introduce herself. I looked in the reflection of the window glass to see her flipping her hair and shaking Edward's hand. Was she flirting with him? "Welcome to Starbucks. Is there anything I can get for you, _Sir_?" she asked, emphasizing the Sir.

What the Hell?

"You've got to be FUCKING KIDDING ME!" I shouted. "I've been crying my eyes out for the past hour and a half and you haven't taken _my_ fucking order," I spat at this _Amber_. "You didn't think that the crying girl might want a cappuccino or a slice of cheesecake?" I started my rant. "Besides, this is STARBUCKS! You don't take fucking orders from customers AT THEIR TABLE!" I finished.

"I was just being friendly," Amber huffed before stomping away.

"B-Bella," Edward stuttered. It reminded me of how he'd tried to calm me down when I got frustrated over a hard math problem. "It's okay. Calm down."

"I'm sorry," I apologized, still looking at the glass. "She was rude to me earlier," I told him, wiping my eyes with a napkin.

"We all have our off days," he comforted, grabbing my jacket. "Come on," he urged. "We're leaving."

"Why?" I asked, putting my arms through the sleeves.

"Because Amber looks like she wants to kill you and all the other customers look scared of you," he informed me.

"I guess," I shrugged my shoulders and walked out the door.

Edward followed me outside just as the headlights of a car shined across his face. It was then that I really saw him. He didn't have any hair gel in his hair. He had a few days of scruff on his jaw. His glasses were also missing. He didn't have on his normal geeky getup, either. He had on track pants and a white t-shirt.

Damn...

Were his cheekbones always so…perfect? You could cut a diamond on those, same with that jaw.

I always knew Edward was cute. But…damn.

He was downright hot!

"Wow," I whispered. I hoped he didn't hear.

He looked in my direction and squinted so he could see me better. I guess he wasn't wearing contacts, either. At that moment, I saw the geeky and awkward Edward I'd come to know and like.

"Where to?" he asked, looking at me.

"No clue," I told him as we begin walking.

But the fact that I was going there with him made it better.

**EDWARD**

I convinced Bella to get her things and follow me outside. Honestly, I was scared of what would have happened if she'd stayed. Plus, I wanted to help her.

"Again, I'm sorry," she apologized, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her coat. "I'm not normally so…unglued," she told me in a small voice.

"You're okay," I excused her. "We've all had our time when we cried in public," I said and automatically wished I hadn't. I had a brief flashback of Tanya dumping me…in the parking lot…during my graduation party…with an engagement ring in my pocket.

"You okay?" she stopped walking to ask, looking concerned.

"Yeah," I shook my head, willing away the memory. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

She shrugged her shoulders as her phone rang. "Aw…fuck off," she hissed, throwing the phone back into her purse. I guess whoever called was responsible for why she was upset. I looked at her outfit. She was dressed up and her hair was down. I took a moment to appreciate her brown and red locks. It was rare when she didn't have a wig on.

Maybe she had been on a date?

"Was that your boyfriend?" I asked, mining for information. I didn't know why I wanted to know what was wrong so badly. I just wanted to make her happy again. She didn't look like Bella when she was sad.

"Pssh," she giggled a little bit, "I have no boyfriend," she proclaimed, shivering with disgust. At least she laughed.

Why didn't she have a boyfriend? She was pretty…and funny…and nice…it was not out of thought that she'd have a boyfriend.

"Well…" I started as Bella's stomach growled again…loudly. People who were walking around us even heard it.

"Wow," she blushed a light pink color. I'd never seen her blush before. It was nice. "I'm embarrassed," she whispered, rubbing her stomach with one hand and face-palming herself with the other.

I'd forgotten we needed food.

"What's for dinner?" I inquired, motioning to a Chinese restaurant, a buffalo wing restaurant, and a McDonald's.

"McDonald's," she decided before walking across the street. "It's a safe bet."

I let go of the fact that she didn't use the crosswalk and followed her. The employees were sweeping the floor when we came inside.

"You can order, but the inside is closed," a man said from behind the register. I was not sure if I was seeing things, but I thought he was staring at her chest…like _really_ staring. I couldn't believe he was blatantly ogling her like that, even though she did have a _really_ nice chest to stare at.

"Hey!" Bella snapped her fingers, closing her jacket. After gaining his attention, we gave him our orders and he scurried to the back to make them. "Perv," she hissed when he left.

Bella didn't notice, but three other guys from the back peeked out to stare at her as well. I immediately felt invisible. I looked at her again. She really did look nice. It was probably obvious that a girl like her wouldn't be with a guy like me unless they were friends anyway.

We got our meal and Bella took out her phone to call Victoria.

"Shit," she stomped her foot. "She's not answering…probably having slutty sex with her date," she seethed, taking a sip from her chocolate shake. "I'll have to call a cab," she said, sitting on a bench in front of the McDonald's. "Thanks for treating me," she smiled, holding up her McDonald's bag as proof.

Did she really think I would leave her sitting outside on a cold bench to wait for a cab…at night? Never. Even if she wasn't my friend, I never would have left a woman alone at a time like this. My mother would have killed me.

"No," I insisted, pulling her to stand by me. "You can wait at my apartment for your cab," I volunteered.

"That's okay," she waved me off. "I'll be fine. You don't have to take responsibility for me."

"I want to," I admitted. "I'm not leaving my friend alone on a bench at eleven o'clock at night," I started. "If you got kidnapped, I'd feel guilty," I joked again. She actually laughed.

"_That_ joke was funny," she chuckled and followed me home.

"I'm so hungry," she dragged out, placing the bags on my kitchen table.

"I could tell," I teased, referring to when her stomach growled. "I didn't know someone so little could make such a big noise."

"Eh," she griped, flipping me off before her phone rang…again. "Ugh," she huffed with a mouthful of Big Mac.

"Who keeps calling you?" I asked.

She looked at the phone, rolling her eyes. "Excuse me," she ordered, answering the phone. "Hello, Charlie," she deadpanned. "Well…act like a dad and I'll call you that…You think I'm mad? What gave you _that_ impression?...Seriously? What the fuck do you think happened after you left?...Ugh…Yeah, I know. You're busy. Now, I'm busy…ignoring you…You know what I mean…I hate you until further notice!" she raised her voice before hanging up.

"That was your dad?" I asked.

"Mhmm," she nodded her head. She stared at her food for an extended period before pushing it aside. She'd barely even eaten anything. "Busy…neglectful…asshole," she muttered, sipping from her milkshake.

"Is that why you're upset?" I questioned, scooting my chair closer. "Did something happen with your dad?"

"It's what didn't happen with him. It's what never happens with him," she elaborated, biting a french-fry.

At least she was opening up. That was a start. Hopefully, she'd tell me a little more.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, genuinely perplexed with her answer. How could someone do something and not do something at the same time?

"Edward," she giggled, "If you want me to discuss my family life, I'm going to need alcohol," she sighed, going to the refrigerator. "You mind?" she asked, holding up a bottle of vodka.

"Sure."

She poured her milkshake into a glass and added vodka to it before mixing it up.

"What's your family…?" she started before stumbling in the kitchen and spilling her drink over her dress, feet, and the floor. "FUCK!"

Fuck was clearly her favorite curse word.

"Sorry," she apologized grabbing a rag and cleaning the mess off the floor. "Shit, my dress," she pouted.

"It's okay," I told her, walking back to my room. I grabbed a clean t-shirt and walked back out. "Here you go," I handed it to her. "It'll be more like a dress on you anyway because I'm so tall," I reasoned.

When she went to the bathroom to change, I made her another milkshake. I still had a lot of sweet stuff that I had bought when I had gone to the store to prepare for when she came over last time. I even added more vodka.

She came back out with a blonde wig on that was cut kind of shaggy. Why did she wear those?

"Thanks," she smiled when I handed her the drink. "Back to business," she said, sitting back down. My shirt came to just above her knees. It drowned her. It was a little funny. "What's your family like?"

"They're great," I answered.

"Elaborate," she ordered. "I'm not buzzed enough to talk about mine yet," she added, taking a long sip of her drink. "Mmmm…that's good."

"Okay," I started, thinking of a way to summarize my family. "My parents are Carlisle and Esme. They're awesome parents…the doting kind. I never wanted for anything as a kid," I smiled at the thought of them. "I have a big brother, Emmett. He's like a mountain…but he's basically a big kid. I've never seen someone have more fun at Disneyworld than him," I laughed thinking of when he chased Mickey Mouse all over the park, demanding him to kiss Minnie in a picture. He got banned for three years. "It's good that he has Rose, his girlfriend. She keeps him in check. They're probably getting married soon," I added. "I have a little sister, Alice. She's a Pixie Princess…has a lot of energy. She'll be the first to tell you anything. She's tiny…like really tiny. She loves shopping," I laughed. "She's married to Jasper. They've been together since high school." I elaborated, thinking of something else to add. "Oh," I smacked myself for forgetting, "I have two nieces, Alexia and Megan. Alexia is Alice and Jasper's daughter. Megan is Emmett and Rose's daughter," I chuckled. "They're adorable."

"Your family sounds cute," Bella nodded her head, eating another bite of her Big Mac.

"They're awesome," I agreed. "That's why it's hard not talking to them."

"Why aren't you talking?" she inquired, taking another sip of her drink.

"I've been going through a tough time," I confessed, thinking about everything that had happened lately. "It's hard talking to them when all I hear is pity," I sighed.

Where was that vodka?

"At least your family gives a shit," she shrugged her shoulders. "My mother only gives a shit about herself. I couldn't tell you if my dad gives a shit or not because I only see him once a year if I'm lucky."

"Wow," I answered, pouring myself a glass of alcohol. "That must be hard on their marriage."

For some reason, Bella thought this was hilarious and started to erupt in laughter. "Marriage…" she stopped to laugh. "They divorced when I was two. I don't remember them ever being married," she confided before chugging the rest of the milkshake. "Bring the bottle," she ordered, tapping her glass.

"Come on," I argued, taking a shot of vodka, "I'm sure they give a shit."

"No," she retorted, taking a shot quickly, "They don't."

"You're just upset."

"That's not it," she laughed, stuffing fries into her mouth.

"I think it is," I told her. "It's impossible for a parent not to love their child."

"You'd like to think that," she shook her head, looking at the vodka in her shot glass before taking it in one gulp. There was a twenty-second period of us looking at each other and not saying anything. It would have felt awkward with anyone else. But this silence was comfortable. "My mom is having another baby," she whispered, before breaking eye contact with me.

"Is that why you're upset?" I asked, feeling that I was getting close.

"Yes…no…maybe," she switches answers. "It's part of it…in addition to a plethora of other problems."

"Why are you upset that your mother is having a baby?" I asked. Most people would have seen a baby as a blessing.

"Because it's my mother's official way of telling me…" she started before taking what looked to be a double shot, "that I'm not good enough."

"I'm sure she didn't mean that," I rubbed her back, thinking of when my mom told me I'd be having a little brother or sister. "I mean…I understand that it'll be awkward since you're an only child…"

"She said it," she interrupted me, raising her eyebrow.

Huh? She didn't mean that she actually said it. Did she?

"She didn't…"

"Yep," she sighed. "My dad is really busy. I only ever see him an average of once a year. He called me this week to say he was spending the weekend," she started, stuffing her mouth with the last of her fries. "I was so excited. I planned for us to go to this outdoor fair thing tomorrow that was downtown," she rolled her eyes and continued. "Anyway, I get dressed up and go down to meet him. It's going okay. He gives me an over-the-top gift as usual," she waved her hands in a blasé fashion, "Then, my mother shows up and all Hell breaks loose," the story paused. "My parents can't go two minutes without verbally assaulting each other. My mother digs in at me for having problems with my Calc II class. Then, my dad had to leave. It was work stuff, as usual," she whispered. "I decided to get out while I still could. As I was walking away, she told me she was pregnant," she stared at her food.

"Her wanting you to do well isn't…"

"No, Edward," she shook her head. "She then tells me that she was planning on not making so many…mistakes this time…and she hoped that this child will be 'more her speed,'" she added, whimpering. "When I confronted her about it, she listed every 'opportunity' that she'd ever forced down my throat as an opportunity that I've wasted. She finished her rant by telling me she hoped the next one would be more grateful."

I sat quietly, stunned, thinking about what I'd just heard. I couldn't believe a woman like that would call herself a mother. What mother would say that to their children? No one deserved that.

"Bella," I started, rubbing her stomach.

"You know…I'm a little outspoken…weird even…and I'll even admit to being a little arrogant at times," she seethed. "But I never thought I was dispensable," she added as her lip started to quiver. "I feel so discarded," she cried into her hands.

"Please don't cry," I begged, hugging her. "You're not dispensable," I consoled.

"It sure feels that way," she sniffled as I put my chin on the top of her head.

"If anyone is dispensable, it's me," I told her, rubbing her shoulder.

"No, you're not," she argued. "You have a family that loves you. I can tell by how you talk about them. They'd never trade you in for a newer, better model," she scrunched up her face. "I spent my whole life trying to do what she wanted. When I grow a brain of my own, she decides I'm not worth it and moves on."

"That doesn't make you dispensable. It makes your mom a bitch," I argued.

"Edward Cullen?" she questioned with a smile. "Did you just curse?"

"I swear when the occasion calls for it," I confessed.

"Why do you feel dispensable?" she asked.

She'd been so open with me; I decided to share, too. I knew she wouldn't judge me.

"My girlfriend, Tanya, dumped me," I revealed. "I'm still a little sore about it."

"Damn," she shook her head, pouring me a shot. "Drink it!"

"But…"

"No buts," she interrupted. "I'm starting to feel that vodka. I'm not getting drunk by myself."

"Fine," I gave in, taking another shot. That was the last of the bottle. So, I grabbed a half-empty bottle of Patron.

"Nice," she complimented as I poured each of us a shot. "I'm sorry you got your heart broken."

"It…is what it is, I guess," I sighed. "I just…never saw it coming."

"What happened?"

"I've known Tanya since we were in diapers. Our parents are college friends," I started. "I just remember her always being so pretty and a little outspoken. But I liked that. I'm so quiet that I value someone who speaks their mind," I revealed to see her pouring me another shot. "Even when we were kids, people always questioned why we were friends. I had a crush on her for about six years before I gathered the courage in the seventh grade to ask her out," I smiled a little.

"Aw…" she cooed, wiping sweat from her forehead. Her wig looked lopsided. "That's sho shweeet."

"I was so happy when she agreed to be my girlfriend. I felt so lucky. She could've had any guy she wanted and somehow she wanted geeky ol' me. I did everything to make her happy. I loved to see her smile," I added, taking another shot. "High school was the worst...bullies…and wedgies…and swirlies. High school was great for Tanya and her sisters, though. They were all beautiful and popular. But me…it was Hell. We graduated and went off to different colleges. Maybe that was why. We were together for eight years."

"Aw…damn," she snapped her fingers. "Thatsh a lots longer thansh my parenth's relathionthip," she shook her head. She was started to sound a little drunk.

"I was going to propose. I had the ring in my pocket and everything."

"That's shooooo fucked up," she poured me a quadruple shot. "Chug, man," she ordered. I complied.

Yep. I was drunk now.

"Yooooou betcha!" I agreed. "She dumped me…in a parking lot…at my graduation party…alone…with a five-carat engagement ring in my pocket. Now, she's dating a frat boy who probably majors in gym."

"What a bish!" she yelled, standing up…then falling.

"Heeeey," I wobbled, picking her up. "Don't call her a bish."

"Nope," she shook her head, "She's a bish. She dumped you during your _birthday_ party!"

"Graduation party."

"It's still bad."

"She's not a…"

"Yes, she is!" she argued. "If my mom is a bish, Tanya is a bish."

Her mom was a bitch. So, I let her have it.

"Tanya…that ungrateful…BISH…can…suckmydick!" she rushed.

"Okay," I waved in surrender, "No more alcohol."

"I agree," she nodded her head as I put her wig on straight. "Hey," she warned, straightening her hair, "Don't touch the wig."

"Whatever," I flipped her off, walking down the hall. "I'm tired."

"Me, too," she followed me.

It was then I remembered that I hadn't put any sheets on the bed in the guestroom. I never had guests, so I never bothered to do it.

"I need to put sheets on the other bed."

"Nuh uh…" she shook her head, her body wobbling and leaning on the doorframe, "Too tired…share," she whispered, walking into my room and trying to jump up on the bed. It sat high off the ground and she was short. She was having a hard time. "Help!" she whimpered, jumping.

I walked over and helped her up. She snuggled into a pillow and yawned. She looked so peaceful…like she belonged there. I walked to the closet to get a bundle of blankets to make my bed on the floor.

"Nuh uh," she jumped up and swayed a little, "Share."

"That's okay," I said, grabbing a pillow.

"No," she crossed her arms. "Your bed…big bed…share," she ordered, patting the side next to her.

"If you're sure," I said getting in bed next to her. My bed was big enough that we both had more than enough room. We wouldn't be sleeping on top of each other.

"Mhmm," she sighed before throwing her wig off onto the floor. The smell of strawberries filled my nose.

"Your hair smells nice," I yawned, pulling the covers over us.

"Thanks," she snuggled under the covers. "Don't touch it," she yawned. "Don't try anything."

"Don't **you** try anything," I retorted before she slapped my arm.

"Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"Vader," she whispered.

"Never."

The last thing I remembered was her laughing and shaking her head.

**Here we go. Who is Bella's dad exactly? You'll see who I have in mind for Bella's parents. You might know them…**


	5. Chapter 5

**I own nothing of Twilight. **

**I added a little to the fairytale conversation. I hope you like it. **

**Chapter Five**

**EDWARD**

The sun shining through the window forced me to open my eyes. My hands immediately moved to shield them from the light to protect my brain. I was really hung over. I looked down to find my arms wrapped around Bella and she was nestled against my chest. It felt nice. Her nose wrinkled and I smelled my armpits to discover that I reeked. To be honest, I was not sure if I even showered yesterday. I untangled us and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

I got another pair of pajamas to wear and jumped in the shower. I needed to use today to get caught up on my studies. I'd slacked off the past couple of days. As I was washing my hair, I heard the bathroom door open.

"Oh, God…" Bella croaked before I heard the sound of her throwing up in the toilet.

"Bella?" I asked, peeking my head out from around the curtain. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she waved me off. "Go back to your…" she started before she barfed again. "I'm so…" she gagged again. "Fuck you, Ronald McDonald!"

This went on for another five or so minutes before she stopped vomiting. She handed me a towel and left for me to get dressed. After I was ready, I gave her the bathroom and went to clean up the kitchen. I struggled to throw away the food and bottles we had emptied last night. It took twice as long to clean up because I kept sitting down. This hangover was horrible. As I finished cleaning, Bella's phone rang, making my head pound even worse.

Damn it.

I walked to the bathroom to tell Bella she had a call. I went to knock on the door just as she started singing _When I Ruled the World_ by Coldplay.

She sounded like a Disney princess. I listened to her singing from outside the door until her phone stopped ringing. Now that I thought of it, she probably would have ignored the call anyway. So, I went to watch TV in the living room. I caught the tail end of a _House_ marathon.

"Yes!" Bella sighed, walking out in another one of my t-shirts and grabbed her dress to put it in the washing machine. "I feel so clean. I smelled like vodka."

"You sound like a Disney princess," I told her as I went to the kitchen to make us a snack.

"Ick," she shook violently, sitting down and rolling her eyes.

"What's 'icky' about that?"

"Disney movies greatly distort and ruin young girls' perceptions and expectations of love," she deadpanned before grabbing the remote.

"What?" I asked, appalled. I'd never heard a woman bash a Disney princess movie.

"It's true," she nodded her head, tucking her feet Indian-style beneath her. "I got a paper published about it when I was in high school. I called it the _Cinderella Complex_."

"Which is?" I questioned, taking the remote from her.

"A beautiful…somewhat intelligent girl…always goes out on a limb, therefore putting herself and/or her loved ones in danger just to get a man, then, when the plan goes to shit, she sits back and waits for the man to save her."

"They aren't all like that," I argued, pausing the TV.

"Yes, they are," she smiled, arching her eyebrow. "Try me."

"_Cinderella_?"

"That emotional punching bag?" she asked. "Why didn't she seek out Prince Charming when she found out he was looking for the woman who fit the slipper? Besides, what idiot goes to a dance in glass slippers?"

_"The Little Mermaid?"_

"Oh," she pondered, tapping her chin, "You mean Ariel? The dumbass who sold her soul to a sea witch for a chance with a man she met for a grand total of thirty seconds?" she smiled, shaking her head.

"I don't believe this," I proclaimed, in awe of her cynicism. "_Beauty and the Beast_?"

"You might as well call it _The Legend of Stockholm Syndrome_," she laughed at my expression. "The entire subtext of the original story is to prepare young girls for arranged marriages, anyway," she waved it off.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

_"Snow White?"_

"Two women fighting over who's prettiest?" she asked in return. "Let's not get started on how objectified she is," she rolled her eyes. "Her only real power is her beauty," she laughed. "She's nothing but a glorified maid to those dwarves," she listed on her finger. "When she died…they put her in a _glass_ coffin," she accentuated. "Gee…let's put the dead girl in a glass coffin so we can stare at her even though she's dead because she's _so_ pretty," she said in a dwarf voice. "Technically, that prince was into necrophilia…kinky," she wiggled her eyebrows. "Seriously? Would you kiss a dead person?"

"Come on!" I raised my hands. Alice would be having a stroke if she heard this conversation. There had to be one that I could use to change her mind. We sat there, her raising her eyebrow in victory while I thought it over. Then, I found one.

"_Mulan_," I stated, crossing my arms in victory. "She saved China."

"Doesn't count," she smirked at my frustration.

"How does that not count?" I asked, getting a little frustrated.

"She's not a Disney princess."

"Is, too!" I argued. "She had her own movie and everything."

"She's a _heroine_…not a princess. Mulan isn't of royal blood like the others," she pointed out. "It doesn't matter, anyway. She thinks of a fucking brilliant plan by causing that avalanche. She saves the General's life…getting stabbed in the process," she ranted. "How do they repay her?" she asked, crossing her arms. "They leave her…in the snowy mountains…alone…just for being a woman. What a dick!" she huffed. "However, Mulan was sort of a feminist. So, I'll give her a little credit. Besides, have you ever seen her on a t-shirt with the other princesses? When's the last time you saw a girl go as Mulan for Halloween?" she asked.

"Ugh!" I ran my hands through my hair. "_Princess and the Frog_," I said. "Tiana was a go getter."

"And people looked down on her because of it," she countered. "Let's be honest," she raised an eyebrow, "The song selection in _Princess and the Frog_ is _vastly_ inferior to the other movies," she sighed. "Plus, Dr. Faciliier is nothing but a black Jafar. They even look alike," she giggled.

"You are so…"

"I do like _The Hunchback of Notre-Dame_, though," she shrugged.

"So you _are_ normal?" I teased.

"I respect that everyone owned their shitty attitude in that movie," she explained. "Frolo had an entire song about how much he wanted to bone Esmeralda," she smiled. "You have to commend Disney for having balls," she giggled. "That bitch did leave Quasimodo for the good looking guy, though," she frowned.

"There goes your cynicism," I pointed to her.

"Yes," she deadpanned, patting my shoulder. "Have you noticed that all of the 90s Disney princes have all of the same facial features…just a different skin tone?" she asked. "It's like they used a stencil."

"I'm not listening to this!" I covered my ears.

"Face it. 'Happily Ever After' is bullshit."

"I don't believe that," I replied. "My parents will celebrate their thirtieth anniversary on New Year's. My sister met her husband when she was fourteen. My brother is practically already married. There's somebody for everybody."

"Did you ever think that they're exceptions to the rule?" she inquired. "I mean, over half of marriages nowadays end in divorce. You can Google it."

"You know," I got her attention, "Some people might call you cynical," I shook my head, popping an Advil and chugging a glass of water.

"Naïve people call me cynical," she retorted. "Realistic people call me right."

"Why are you so dead set against it?" I questioned her misguided view.

"I just…am," she answered rolling her eyes. "How did we get on this topic, anyway?" she asked, putting her hair in a ponytail.

I could tell that this might have been a sensitive subject for her. So, I decided to drop it, although I didn't understand why someone so young could have been so jaded. Maybe this was a subject for another day.

"Fine," I relented, raising my hands in surrender.

"Your family looks nice," she pointed out, looking at the pictures hanging on my wall. "They look like they give a shit," she concluded before sitting down.

"They're pretty cool," I admitted, smiling.

"I'm so fucking hung over," she complained. "Ouch," she growled, holding her head.

"Then why were you singing?" I asked, trying to laugh, but scared that my brain would explode.

"It's my routine," she shrugged her shoulders as her phone rang. "Fuck," she softly answered it.

I sat down next to her, listening to the person on the other end of the phone yell at Bella. I could have heard it from across the room. I could only imagine how loud it was in Bella's ear. She looked like she was in pain.

"Vic," she deadpanned, covering her eyes, "I'm obviously okay. Stop yelling… you know what? Call me back when you're not yelling at me…I'm hung over…well, I'm sorry I got drunk without you," she griped, hanging up the phone.

"Victoria?" I asked, playing the TV.

"The one and only," she laughed. "She got back from her date and realized I wasn't there. She thought I'd been kidnapped or something."

"It's almost noon," I pointed out, looking at the clock. "She just got home?"

"Wait a minute…" she thought about it, "You're right. She has no right."

I felt my stomach growl, although it was nowhere near as loud as when Bella's stomach shouted at her. I walked to the kitchen and grabbed the sandwiches I had made before Bella came out.

Turning the corner, I knocked Bella's bag over. Out fell a pile of bracelets. I went to put them back in her purse and took a better look at them. After looking them over, it was easy to tell that they were real. The precious metals and the gemstones…they were all real. They we're big, too. I didn't know much about jewelry, but being related to my mother and sister, plus dating Tanya, I knew real jewelry when I saw it. It was expensive, top-of-the-line stuff. I would even bet they were imported. The jewelry I'd seen her wear never looked like this.

"I know I should eat," she said, "But I'm scared to," she admitted, holding her stomach.

"It's okay," I nudged her shoulder. "It's peanut butter…"

"No," she quickly pushed the plate away like she was scared. "I can't eat that. I'm deathly allergic to nuts," she wiped her hands on her thighs.

"Oh," I threw it away. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't know," she waved it off. "It was a nice gesture, though. Thanks," she smiled. "I might've thrown it up, anyway," she said, grabbing two bottles of apple juice from the refrigerator.

"That must suck," I thought of all the good stuff that had nuts in it. "No Snickers, peanut butter, peanut brittle…"

"I get it," she smacked my shoulder. "I had a Payday bar when I was little. I almost died. I was in the hospital for a week."

"You risked your life for a _Payday_? You could've at least gone for a Snickers," I teased, causing her to flip me off.

"I don't remember how it tasted," she recollected. "I chewed it like five times before my body went into shock."

"Wow," I laughed. "My brother, Emmett, would go into a depression if he ever became allergic to nuts." My grin broadened when I thought of how he'd probably cry. I could use that later.

"Victoria called while you were in the kitchen. She's coming over to pick me up."

"Okay," I said a little sad. I was enjoying her company. But, I guess she had better things to do than hang out here.

"Thanks for letting me stay," she hugged me on my side. "It's the best sleepover I've ever been to."

"You're welcome."

We watched an episode of _Law & Order: SVU_ while we waited for Victoria to show up. Bella got up and headed in to the bathroom, and while she was in there, I heard a knocking at the door. I figured it must have been Victoria. I opened the door and Snooki flew from Victoria's arms into mine. She started licking my face in earnest.

"I missed you, too," I rubbed my cheek against the dog before putting her down. She ran into the apartment, probably to look for Bella.

"Hell…o," Victoria smiled when I opened the door. "Edward…you look different."

"Oh," I said awkwardly, combing my fingers through my hair. "My hair isn't gelled."

"It's cool," she came in. "Where's my number one bitch, Bella?" she asked, walking back to where the kitchen was. Bella was on the phone…my phone.

"Edward's apartment," she chirped into the phone, answering it. "You have a call," she mouthed, waving me over. "Bella…I'm twenty… Mhmm…Yeah…No need. He's right here," she handed me the phone. "It's your brother," she whispered, eating a handful of Doritos.

"Hey, Em," I greeted my brother.

"_Edward, you dawg!_" he drew out my name in a teasing tone. "She sounds hot!"

"She's…"

"It's about time you got another girl on the Edward Express," he teased.

"I think…"

"Look at my brother," he said in a sentimental tone. "Dating a younger woman? Hot, dude!"

"Emmett…"

"I can't wait to tell…"

"Don't!" I interrupted him. I didn't want there to be a misunderstanding.

"Why?" he asked, confused. "She's not ugly, is she?"

"No," I laughed. Bella was beautiful. "She's…"

"Edward?" Bella asked, coming back into the kitchen, hugging Snooki to her. She was dressed. She was probably about to leave. I wanted to say goodbye.

"I need to go," I told him.

"I understand. When a woman has to have it…she has to have it," he laughed before hanging up.

I shook my head and walked over to Bella. She had on a pink dress with sleeves, pink leggings, and red satin shoes that had diamond studs on them. Her long wig was half pink and half black, with the ends curled.

"Yeah?" I asked, walking over to meet her.

"Do you want to go to the outdoor fair with us today?" she asked shyly.

"Since Daddy Dearest bailed on us?" Victoria added. "I can't believe I renewed by birth control and got waxed for nothing."

"It wasn't going to happen anyway," Bella rolled her eyes. "So…you up for it?" she asked me.

I had been planning on studying for the rest of the day. I'd missed two days straight. But, I hadn't been out in a long time. It would be nice to have fun. Plus, I could spend more time with Bella.

"Okay."

"Great!" she smiled. "It's cold, so dress warm."

I walked back to my room and got ready quickly. I didn't want them to have to wait too long for me. They'd invited me after all. I decided on a black sweater, my favorite jeans, and the Converse I'd worn yesterday. I put on my new glasses and grabbed my new designer jacket Alice had gotten me for Christmas last year. She'd sworn I needed it because she claimed my old one made me look like a grandpa.

Since Bella's car only seated two people, we decided to take my Volvo. Victoria made the soccer mom joke and we were on our way. It only took us fifteen minutes to get there. When we arrived, we had to park a little ways down and walk to the festival. It looked like there were a thousand little stands, with each one selling something different. It smelled like incense and cinnamon. Bella put Snooki on a leash to make sure she didn't wander off.

"I'm gonna go find some pot," Victoria announced, walking off.

"Come on," Bella dragged me through the stalls. "Let's see what they have."

As anyone could guess, there was a lot of stuff there that you wouldn't find in other stores. Bella bought half a pound of this loose raw tea from India. It smelled like pomegranate. I liked it so I bought some, too. Next, we walked around listening to the different artists. We would listen to them and place a tip in their jar afterwards. Some played drums. Others played pipes. This one guy actually played the guitar. He was awesome.

I was having a great time. I never pictured myself being here. I was glad I'd decided to come.

"Oh, my God!" I heard Bella shout as she ran over to a table full of jewelry.

"Those look like those bracelets you own," I saw, looking at the handful of gold and silver bracelets she was trying on.

Why would she buy those? She had a bag full of them. Plus, the ones she had on were obviously fake.

"Actually," she paused, putting the bracelets and some rings in a bag before paying for them, "They're called _bangles_… score," she smiled.

We walked around for another thirty minutes until Bella had to pee…again.

"I know I have a small bladder," she read my mind, handing me Snooki before running off to go to the bathroom.

I explored the area while she was gone. I didn't stray too far because I didn't want her to not know where I was when she came back. I spotted a stand where I saw this purple and blue wig on display. It was definitely something Bella would wear. Snooki saw it and barked in approval. I paid the thirty dollars and went back to where I had been standing before. They even let me keep the mannequin head.

After another five minutes, I saw Bella looking for me. I walked over to her with the wig behind my back.

"There you are," she smiled, jogging over to me. It looked like she had bought more stuff since she'd been gone. "I got you something."

"I got you something, too," I presented her with the wig.

"Shut up," she laughed, putting her bags down to hold the wig. "I've been looking for a purple wig. This is awesome," she said, running her fingers through the hair. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," I told her, proud of myself. Even though I preferred Bella's real hair, it was nice to know that I'd made her happy.

"Here," she handed me a t shirt. "I hope I got the right size. No refunds or exchanges."

I laughed a little at the shirt. It was purple and yellow and had (Pi)mp written on it, except, it was the Pi sign ( ) with –mp behind it.

"Thanks," I held the shirt up to my chest. "It describes me perfectly."

"I thought so," she smirked. "I got you this, too," she vibrated with excitement, handing me a white box. I opened it to find a tall glass vase in there. It looked hand-blown and was really interesting.

"I know it's not like the one Snooki broke," she excused. "But I hope it makes up for it."

"It's great," I smiled, carrying it underneath my arm.

"We need to head back to the car," Bella laughed. "Neither of us can carry anything else."

Bella called Victoria to see where she was, then she texted her.

"Damn it, Victoria," Bella sighed, reading her reply. "She met some guy in an indie rock band," she rolled her eyes. "She'll meet me back home."

We both managed to fit a pretzel in with our loads and drove back to my apartment.

"Thanks for inviting me," I smiled, opening her car door for her.

"Thanks for coming," she said, dropping her bags to hug me. "I'm happy you came. I can't believe we were there for five hours," she smiled, looking at the night sky.

I walked next to her, not wanting to leave her alone. I wanted to make sure she made it to her car okay. Her purse started to vibrate, causing Bella to huff and answer her phone.

"I'm still not talking to you," she slammed the phone shut. "Bitch."

"Your mom?"

"Mhmm."

It amazed me how she could just say what was on her mind. She pulled no punches.

"I wish I was as strong as you," I confided in her.

"Strong?" she smiled. "I've been called a bitch…but never strong."

"You just…say what you want. You do what you want. You don't care," I pointed out. "Not many people have guts like that. I just wish that I could do that."

"You can," she nodded her head. "Just do it. No one is stopping you."

"I don't want anyone to be mad at me," I confessed, stopping to lean on the trunk of a car. "I always…freeze up."

"If someone gets mad at you for speaking your mind…fuck em," she shrugged her shoulders.

"It's not that simple."

"Yeah, it is," she looked me in the eye. "Edward, I see how sad you are. It's like…you think you aren't worth anything. Only _you_ can make yourself feel that way," she grabbed my shoulders gently. "If there's something you don't like about yourself…change it. There isn't anything wrong with reinventing yourself."

"It wouldn't work," I shook my head. "I'm just not…cool enough…Ouch!" I caught my breath. Bella had punched me in the gut.

"Stop it!" she yelled. "I won't allow you to say that. Stop feeling sorry for yourself," she commanded. "Every time you talk shit about yourself, I'm going to punch you."

"But…"

"No buts," she put her bags down. "You think I always dressed like this?" she asked, pulling at her wig. "It took years of being poked, prodded, abused, and neglected to finally say, 'You know what? Fuck it!' That was the best day of my life."

"I'm scared."

I was used to how I was now. I didn't know how I'd take it if I tried something different and it still didn't work.

"There's no progression without fear."

"Who said that?"

"I did!"

"Oh," I shrank.

"I have an idea," she smiled, picking up her bags.

I was not sure I liked where this was going.

The next day, I got home from class and took a breather. It seemed like I should have picked those two days earlier in the semester to become more enlightened. Luckily, I didn't miss any quizzes or tests so I was not completely screwed. At least I got a decent grade on the tests I had taken last week. I would have gotten an "A" had that asshole, Mike, given me back my notes. But, I would have to settle for a "B+" this time.

After I changed into some sweats and a t-shirt, I cleaned up a bit. Bella and Snooki were coming over. Finals were this week and she was a little worried about her Calc II test. It was understandable. I checked my cabinets and refrigerator to discover that, as suspected, I still had a lot of snacks from the last time she'd come over.

I really overdid it last time.

A call disrupted my routine. I rushed over to see who it was. Mom.

"Edward, it's your mother," she spoke into the phone, causing me to laugh.

"I saw that when I checked the ID, Mom," I informed her.

"How are you, honey?" she asked with "the voice"…her infamous "I'm walking on eggshells" voice.

"I'm fine, Mom," I huffed, rolling my eyes.

I wasn't lying. For the first time in a while, I'd honestly felt fine. I wasn't sad…well, not that sad anymore.

"You can't fault me for checking," she huffed in reply. "Have you been eating?" she asked.

"Yes," I answered, looking over to my cabinets. "In fact, I have a kitchen full of snacks, soda, and liquor… the diet of any man in college."

"Edward Cullen," mom warned, "You'd better be eating balanced meals. You don't want to…"

"Mom, it's fine," I calmed her down. "What's the matter?"

"I was just calling to see how my youngest son is doing," she sighed, "And to ask him if he's coming home for The Celebration."

"Of course, why wouldn't I come?"

The Celebration was the infamous Denali/Cullen get together that happened every year over the holidays. First, there was my niece, Alexia's, birthday. Then, we sat around, caught up, hung out, and did some service. Then, after New Year's, we normally celebrated my parents' anniversary. Why would she think I would miss that?

"Tanya," she gave as an excuse.

I rolled my eyes. Yes, it hurt that Tanya and I weren't together. But it was not going to stop me from seeing my family.

"I'll be okay."

"She's bringing that Riley boy," she announced slowly. "I just wanted to warn you so you won't be surprised."

That stung a little. I mean, their relationship must have been serious if he was meeting Heidi and Alec already. Right?

We were not getting back together.

"Mom," I started, pinching the bridge of my nose, "It's fine. I'll be fine."

"Good," she said. I could tell she was smiling over the phone. "What is this I hear…?"

I heard knocking at barking at my front door, figuring it must be Bella. She didn't use the doorknocker like normal people.

"Edward!" I heard her from outside the door. "Open up!"

"Mom, I'll talk to you later, I have to go."

"Okay," she sighed. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too. Love you, Mom. Bye." I got off the phone and headed to the door. When I opened it, Snooki immediately jumped into my arms and rubbed her face against mine.

"I think she has a crush on you," Bella smiled, making her way inside the apartment. She had such a pretty smile. You couldn't help but notice when you looked at her.

"How's it going?" I asked, grabbing her coat and putting it in the closet. From the looked of it, it was a fox fur. It was real. I guess you could call it another skill from being related to Alice and dating Tanya.

Huh?

"Pretty fucking well," she announced. "It's fucking cold outside."

She had on one of those hug shrugs. It was purple, blue, grey, and yellow. She had a yellow shirt on underneath with light blue jeans and purple heels. She had on the wig I'd bought her at the fair. Then, I noticed the bag she was carrying. It was more like a satchel. It reminded me of the one my mom had gotten my dad for his birthday. It wasn't cheap. I shook my head at how much of a girl I was being.

Alice would have been proud.

Then, I thought of those bangles I'd found the last time I saw her.

The bangles. That coat. The bag…

What was the deal with the random expensive shit Bella owned?

"Edward?" she waved her hands in my face. "Are you sick?"

"No," I said following her into the living room. "I was thinking."

"Oh," she shrugged her shoulders as Snooki cuddled by her feet. "Let's get this studying done," she clapped her hands.

"Sure," I smiled sitting next to her.

She smelled like strawberries. It was nice.

"Then, we can start FYB 101," she added, flipping open her notebook.

"Huh?"

"You know? Enforcing my plan?" she asked. "Are you still up for it?"

When we were walking back from the fair, Bella had mentioned something about helping me with my issues. I didn't know she was serious.

"If you don't want to, it's okay," she backed off.

"Oh, no," I waved my hands. "I'm okay with it."

"Cool," she ran her hands over my head.

"What does FYB stand for?"

"Finding your balls," she told me nonchalantly before turning to a problem she didn't understand.

"O…kay," I whispered, getting out my calculator.

When we started to tackle the problems, I was proud to see that she was getting it. To be honest, I was not sure if she needed my help anymore. I thought about how the semester would be over this week. Would we still be friends?

"Come on, man," Bella giggled, shaking my shoulder. "You've been spacing out like crazy today."

"I'm just thinking that the semester is almost over."

"I know, right?" she nodded. "I'll be glad to have this class in my rearview mirror," she huffed, closing the book. "Break time!" she yelled, heading to the kitchen. "Do you want anything?"

I shook my head.

She took a computer out of her bag.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I have that student film thing due," she rolled her eyes. "I need to get some work done on it."

"How long does it have to be?"

"Forty-five minutes."

"How much do you have done?"

"Twenty minutes."

"Bella," I scolded.

"Pssh," she waved me off. "It's due on Thursday. I'll get it done," she smiled as her phone rang. Her grin fell immediately. "Stop calling," she deadpanned into the phone before hanging up.

"Mom?"

"Dad," she answered, closing her laptop. "I don't feel like working on that project now."

"You just started!"

"Leave it alone," she ordered, turning on the TV.

"Oooh…_House_!" I shouted and she stopped on the channel.

"You like _House_, huh?" she teased.

We sat in silence, watching the show and I couldn't help but think about what Bella had said earlier. Finding your balls? What was that about?

"What's that FYB stuff about?" I asked her, as the show went to commercial.

"Oh," she drew out, muting the TV, "It's just something I want to talk to you about."

"About what?"

"I want to help you," she said, her brown orbs staring into mine.

"With what?'

"A lot," she answered, smirking.

"Give me an example," I suggested.

"Fine," she folded her legs under her. "Edward, I want you to know that I'm your friend. I don't just see you as a tutor. You know that, right?" I nodded my head. I was glad she saw herself as my friend. "As a friend, I have to tell you something."

"Shoot," I said, turning to see if there was something else I could watch during the commercials.

"You're a doormat," she rushed out.

"What?"

"I hate to say it, but it's true," she said lowly. "You let people walk all over you. It's a little sad," she started. "When we were talking, you seemed so miserable. I just want to…help you I guess," she finished.

"How?" I rolled my eyes. That seemed a little ridiculous.

"I don't know," she shrugged her shoulders. "I just want you to see how amazing you are."

"Right," I griped.

"Seriously?" she asked, arching her eyebrow. "You're smart. You're nice. You actually care about people. You're easy to talk to," she listed. "You're cute…"

"No, I'm not," I argued. "Don't say that to make me feel better."

I didn't think anyone who hadn't been in my family had ever called me "cute."

"Ouch!" I yelled, touching my now sore nipple.

"I'm not lying," she rebutted, acting offended. "You're adorable," she smiled, running her fingers through my hair. They got covered in gel. "I told you I'd punch you every time you talk shit about yourself," she informed me, wiping some gel on her shrug.

"Sorry," I apologized.

"For what?"

"For upsetting you."

"You didn't upset me. You just confuse me," she laughed lightly. "How can you not see your awesomeness?"

"Because I'm not…ouch!" I screamed in pain, rubbing my stomach.

"I told you!" she shook her fist at me. "You're awesome. Why don't you see it?"

"When you're made fun of most of your life, it's hard to," I confessed, not wanting to look her in the eyes.

"I was made fun of, too," she admitted softly. "I guess you can call it a rite of passage."

Who would make fun of her? She was amazing.

"Who would tease you?" I asked. "You're so tough…and beautiful," I said, looking into her eyes. They were so brown…with little flecks of gold in them.

"I wasn't _always_ tough."

"I've always been teased," I confided. "School was…is…the worst. They teased me because of my hair, my clothes, and because of how smart I am. I've always been the nerd."

"Do you not like being seen that way?" she asked as Snooki jumped into her lap.

"I don't know," I answered. "I've never been any other way," I said. "I've never wanted to try anything else."

"Why?"

I thought long and hard about how I wanted to answer the question. Then, I decided to just be honest.

"It'd be worse if I tried something else and they still didn't accept me," I confessed. "I'm scared."

Now that I thought about it, I'd never told anyone that. I'd always known it. I'd just never said it out loud.

Bella stared at me after my confession. It felt like she looked at me forever, when it was only a couple of seconds. It was like she was debating something. After another period of silence, she turned off the TV.

"Do you want to see something?" she asked, running her fingers through her wig. "It's personal."

I nodded my head. For some reason, I couldn't talk.

"As you know, my parents got divorced when I was two. I never remember them being a couple," she repeated what she had told me a few days ago. "I hardly saw my dad. So, that means it was just me, my mother, and my stepdad, Phil. My mother is a colossal bitch. Everything she owns has to be perfect… impeccable. Everything she has is new and shiny and all-the-rage," she paused to look at me.

"From the moment I was born, I was trained. Music. Dance. Athletics. Academics. I basically didn't have a childhood. It was spent being shaped into this…champion. That's what she likes to call me." She paused to see if I was still with her. "One day, she took it too far," she whispered, her lip turning to a quiver.

"It was my seventh birthday. I was so excited. Renee, my mother, had gotten me this brand new bike. It was a little different because it had a motor in it. I thought it was cool because it was like a motorcycle. We spent the whole day together. We got mani-pedi's, facials, the works. It was a spa day. I was so glad to have a day off. It was nice to spend some time with at least one of my parents," she looked far off into space. "At the end of the day, we went to get our hair done. My mom thought I would look prettier as a blonde. That's what she said. Brown hair made me look to plain," she chuckled sinisterly. "She wanted me to have this really light…almost platinum-blonde hair. She said it would highlight my cheekbones better," she rolled her eyes.

"I remember the burn. It hurt really badly. Abnormally so. I scratched my head because it was itching, only to notice that there was a big chunk of hair in my hands," she stopped to take off her wig. She gently placed the wig on the table and unpinned her hair. "I had a severe allergic reaction to the chemicals and every single strand of my hair fell out that day," she ran her fingers through her hair to show me a bald spot near the crown of her head that was a little smaller than a quarter, yet bigger than a nickel. "It took five years for most of it to grow back. I was homeschooled at that time. Mom said she didn't want people to see me looking like that," she sighed, tilting her head back. "You asked me why I wear wigs. That's why," she confessed.

I couldn't believe my ears. What woman would do that to her child? And she was having another kid? She should be sterilized.

"Bella," I said softly, somehow regaining my voice. "It's not bad. You can't tell," I moved to touch her hair. I wasn't lying. You couldn't see it unless she showed you. She swatted my hand away.

"I didn't tell you that story to get any sympathy," she said, wiping her eyes. "I told you so you can see that no matter what you do, some people will never accept you," she added, pinning her hair back up. "So, fuck 'em. Do what you want. As long as you're happy, no one else matters," she said, turning the TV back on.

"I'm sorry that happened to you," I apologized.

I couldn't imagine what it must have been like.

"Its water under the bridge," she huffed before getting up. "I have to pick up Victoria," she announced, picking Snooki up. I got her coat and walked her to the door.

"See you later," I opened the door.

"You bet you will," she smiled. "Hey," she said, putting her foot in the doorway. "Meet me on Parrish Street tomorrow after you get out of class," she ordered, before walking down the hallway.

I got back to studying for my finals. I didn't have one until noon tomorrow. The rest of my week from then on was going to suck. I was not looking forward to it. Four hours into studying, I decided a break was in order. I threw a pizza in the microwave and got on my computer. Eventually, I ended up on Facebook.

I updated my status.

_**Edward Cullen: I don't know what motivates me more…my dream of success or my nightmare of failure.**_

As I hit enter, Bella's status popped up.

_**Bella Swan: *Insert insightful quote here to make myself seem more enlightened when I really got it off of Google***_

_**-Ghandi**_

Where did she come up with this stuff?

_**Victoria Greene: LOL!**_

I stopped laughing to add a comment as well.

_**Edward Cullen: Actually, I think Martin Luther King Jr. said that.**_

_**Bella Swan: Damn it! *snaps fingers in disappointment***_

I noticed Tanya had posted on my wall.

What? I hadn't talked to her in weeks. What did she want?

_**Tanya Denali: Hey! How r u?**_

I sat at my computer in shock. Why now? Honestly, I didn't know why she even did that. I didn't want to talk to her. So, after five minutes of typing a reply and deleting it, I closed my laptop and finished studying so I'd be free to meet up with Bella tomorrow.

I had better things to do these days than worry about Tanya Denali.

**Here we have it. Pics are on my profile.**


	6. Chapter 6

**EMOTIONAL WARFARE**

**I'm baaaack. Thanks to everyone who left reviews of encouragement. I have a lot of lovely pictures for you. Check out my profile, after you read. **

**I don't own Twilight or any Stephanie Meyer work.**

**Chapter 6**

**EDWARD**

The next morning, I woke up early to get a little studying done. I had two finals today. I would probably be done around four o'clock. I put on my lucky sweater and some jeans and headed to face my fate. I breathed a lot easier when I handed in my last test for the day. I headed to my car and called Bella to tell her I was on my way. I wondered what she had planned. We always had the most random awesome time together.

Luckily, I found a spot on the street. That way, I wouldn't have to walk far. I walked down the street, expecting to be able to spot Bella based on her outfit. However, I spotted Victoria's wild red hair.

"Hey, Edward," she waved.

"Uh…hi," I waved awkwardly. I obviously interrupted an argument they were having.

"Hey," Bella smiled, walking over to me. She punched Victoria on her arm as she walked past her. "How were your tests?"

"I think I did well," I affirmed, nodding my head. "What are we here for?"

"I decided to tag along," Victoria interrupted as Snooki poked her head out of Victoria's purse. The dog barked at me in greeting and I scratched behind her ears.

"She was forbidden to come to work," Bella laughed.

She had such a pretty laugh.

"Please," Victoria rolled her eyes. "That old prick got what was coming to him!"

"You didn't have to punch him," Bella chided, "Or threaten to poke his colostomy bag."

"He offered me one thousand dollars from his Social Security check if I gave him a blowjob!" she yelled, causing everyone on the street to look at us. "What kind of low-budget bitch does he think I am? My skills are worth at least twenty-five hundred dollars."

Huh?

"Let me get this straight," I pleaded, confused. "You aren't mad that a man offered to pay you for sex. Instead, you're mad that he didn't offer you enough?"

"Exactly," she said, letting a gust of air out of her lungs. "I'm **high**-priced I'll have you know."

"Only you, Victoria," Bella shook her head, grabbing my hand, "Only you."

"What are we here for?" I questioned again.

"I wanted to run an idea by you," she started as she walked away from Victoria. "You know how you said that you were afraid to change?" she asked timidly.

"Yeah," I nodded my head.

"I was wondering…" she paused, "If you don't want to, it's totally fine. You can say no and I'll totally respect that. I mean, I'm sensitive about my hair, too. You know my whole story…"

"Bella," I held her face, "Spit it out."

"Do you want to get a haircut?" she offered timidly. "It's just an idea. If you don't like it, you can always gel it like you have now. It'll grow back," she added. "You said you were scared of change. It could be a small step. You know? Maybe if you felt better about…" she led off, looking at me.

I started to think. Maybe what Bella was saying was right. Maybe I should concentrate on making myself happy. It would be…different. I wouldn't have to put so much gel in my hair. Also, I needed a cut, anyway. If it grew any longer, I'd have to put it in a ponytail.

"Fuck!" she shouted, covering her mouth. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. You're perfect just the way you are," she took a step closer. "After everything I've gone through, I shouldn't have suggested this. You must think I'm this huge hypocrite. I'm sorry. We can do something…" I waved my hands, hoping to get her attention. She huffed.

She looked adorable when she was backtracking.

"I'll try it," I smiled at the scared look on her face.

"You don't have to," she conceded. "I'd totally understand. You don't have to do this because you think I won't be your friend anymore if you don't."

"It's not because of that," I told her, rubbing her arms so she'd calm down. "I thought about what you said. A little change can't hurt."

She was right. Where had hair gel gotten me before? Teased and dumped. I could stand a little excitement.

"You sure?" she asked again. "You aren't…"

"Bella," I warned, rolling my eyes. "Take me to the barber shop."

"Okay," she smiled and tugged me along down the street.

"You said yes?" Victoria caught up to us.

I nodded my head, following Bella. Then, I noticed what Bella had on. She had on a light brown leather jacket with some regular jeans, a white sweater, a scarf she'd gotten at the fair, and some matching boots**.** Then, there was the really short black wig she was wearing.

She looked normal…if you took away the wig.

At that moment, I had a stroke of genius. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it before.

"Bella," I stopped in my tracks, "About that haircut…one condition," I baited her.

"Which is…?" she questioned skeptically.

"You can't wear a wig for two weeks," I bargained, crossing my arms.

That way, she knew I meant business.

"Seriously?" she asked as her mouth dropped open.

"As a heart attack," I informed her. "I'm stepping out of my box. You have to also."

"But…" she paused, "I already feel naked. I had to let Victoria dress me because I was late picking her up."

"She also lost three consecutive rounds of poker," Victoria gloated, interrupting the conversation.

"I was hammered."

"You still lost," Victoria smiled. "It's not my fault you can't hold your liquor. I even get to take Cheetah out for a spin."

Who was Cheetah?

"If anything happens to it…"

"Please," Victoria laughed, "That thing is impossible to steal."

"About your wig," I interrupted. I had a feeling it was hard to get a word in around these two.

"That's not…"

"I'm going home," I announced, turning around. I was hoping reverse psychology would help. She looked so much better with her real hair.

"Ugh! Fine," she relented, taking off her wig and giving it to Victoria.

"I like you," Victoria smiled, throwing the hair in the garbage can.

"Victoria…"

"I don't want to hear about it!"

It was a five-minute walk to the salon. I felt a little awkward going in there. I was a barbershop kind of guy. It had a studio vibe, with two levels. All of the bowls and chairs were different colors. One of the walls was covered with pictures of celebrities that had gotten their hair done there. Every customer seemed to have a drink in their hand.

"I've never been here before," Bella confessed. "This is where Victoria gets her hair done."

"This is the best spot in town," Victoria checked in as a tall man with olive skin and blonde hair came out to greet us. "Nahuel!" Victoria ran to hug him.

"Baby doll!" he kissed both of her cheeks. "Your appointment isn't until Friday. What brings you here?" he questioned, rubbing her long red tresses across his cheek. "Use more conditioner, angel."

"This is my friend, Edward Cullen," she introduced me, "And this is my friend, Bella Swan," she added. "They need your brilliance…and me, of course," she smiled.

Bella huffed and rolled her eyes as the stylist flicked her hair.

"No," he shook his head before turning his gaze on me. He ran his hand over my hair before muttering, "Hell no, Alfalfa!"

"Hey!" Bella stepped in his face. "Don't talk to him like that."

"Forgive her," Victoria stepped between them. "She's a wired person."

"There's no time," he clapped his hands and waved us off. "Come back next Tuesday."

"We need you today," Victoria pouted.

"Look around, darling," he motioned to the salon. "We're too busy."

"Let me introduce you, again, to my friend Bella…" she paused, "_Swan_…the one I told you about," she smiled and tilted her head. Nahuel's eyebrows shot up in recognition.

"Shit," Bella whispered, "Here we go."

"You," Nahuel pointed to three girls who had just sat down in front of the shampoo bowls, "Go home!"

"But…"

"I don't care!" he shouted, pointing to the door. "Come back next Tuesday."

"You can't…"

"DO AS I TELL YOU!" he commanded before clapping his hands. "We have things to do," he added, motioning for some stylists to come over. He sat us down in chairs to look us over. Bella looked annoyed. Victoria looked anxious. Me? If I looked how I felt, I looked scared shitless.

Why did I agree to this?

"Hmmm," he said, going over to Victoria. "Renew her color," he ordered a stylist who took Vic away. "Give her a trim. I'm thinking…wavy," he waved another stylist who took Bella to wash her hair. "You," he stated, running his hands through my hair, "I'll do you myself," he wiped his hand on his leather pants. "I have an idea," he tilted his head before taking me to wash my hair.

I was seated between Bella and Victoria. Victoria had cucumber peels on her eyes and Bella had her eyes closed.

"You okay?" I poked her leg to get her attention.

"I guess so," she answered. "The whole spa thing isn't my deal."

"Me, neither," I laughed as Nahuel moved my neck straight.

"Stop moving," he ordered. I stopped moving.

"How is your film coming along?" I asked. I knew it was due tomorrow. She didn't have much done last I knew.

"I got a lot of work done last night," she told me. "I'll have it done by the show tomorrow night."

"You have to show it?" I asked. "That must be nerve-wracking."

"I just want it to be over," she huffed. "After eight, I'm so out of there."

After that, Bella was taken away and was seated somewhere else. A little later, I sat down next to Victoria. She had several pieces of foil on her head, a green mask on her face, followed by someone working on her feet and nails.

"If you didn't catch it," Victoria told me softly, "That was Bella inviting you to her show," she smiled.

"What?"

"Bella likes to think she doesn't need anyone. It's come from years of only having herself to depend on," she informed.

"She didn't ask me," I reminded her. If she'd wanted me to come, she would have asked me. Right?

"It doesn't change the fact that she wants you to go," she took a piece of cucumber off to raise her eyebrow.

"I can't hold my head up," Bella complained, coming back from the bathroom. All of her hair was rolled up in curlers. Her head was bobbing all over the place. It was funny. "Stop laughing," she pouted, before someone took her to sit her under a hairdryer.

"Now," Nahuel came behind me with a pair of scissors. "When is the last time you cut your hair?" he asked, shaking his head and plucking my glasses from my face. "This look is not for you."

"It's just…"

"Silence!" he scolded. "I don't want to hear your excuses," he replied, taking the scissors to my hair.

For a while, all I heard was the sound of scissors. After a couple of minutes, a crowd started to gather around us. All the women were staring at me. They all had their mouths open. I felt uncomfortable. It must have been bad. Next, I heard a blow dryer, which later turned into some shiny stuff that smelled like vanilla.

"Genius," I heard a woman whisper as Nahuel smiled.

"Done," the stylist said, turning me around to face the mirror. "My latest masterpiece, ladies and gentlemen," he clapped, as the other customers followed suit.

He'd cut more hair than I realized. It was a little shorter on the sides than anywhere else. My infamous cowlick was still present. It was just not as severe and it seemed to work with the cut now. It was definitely different.

"I took it short," he stated the obvious. "This way you have that 'I just got out of bed' thing happening."

"Wow," I heard Bella whisper. "Edward," she murmured, reaching her hand to touch my hair. Nahuel smacked her hand away.

"How is it?" I asked fearfully. I knew she would tell it like it was.

"Uh…" she started "It's…it's good," she nodded her head. "Yeah…it's really good," she said, looking at the clock over my head.

"How long until you're finished?" I asked.

"She's almost done," Nahuel smiled. "They just have to blow out her hair. Give her fifteen minutes."

"You can leave if you want to," Bella said, looking at her feet.

"You want some coffee?" I asked. I'd spotted a coffee shop on the way here. I could wait. Maybe, we'd hang out some more.

"Hot chocolate?" she asked grinning. "It's cold outside."

"Okay," I left, heading down the street. I experienced a sort of déjà vu like what happened a couple of days ago. I might have been seeing things. It just felt like every woman who passed me on the street stared at me when I walked past them. I think I noticed a couple of men looking at me, too.

This haircut must have looked stupid.

"Hey!" a barista greeted me as I walked in. "Welcome to Jittery Jack's. How may I serve you?" she asked, looking at me funny.

"Three hot chocolates, please," I ordered, taking out my wallet. "Ooh, it's cold outside," I made small talk after a draft blew in through the door.

"Mhmm," she smiled toothily. "I have something that could…_warm_ you right up," she said. It was kind of like she said it in a whisper. Weird. "Is there anything else I can get you?" she asked, walking up to me and handing me my order. "You're more than welcome to anything, I…I mean the store has to offer," she smiled.

"No, thank you," I rejected the offer.

"Have a nice day," she grinned, handing me the receipt.

I walked back to the salon, just as Victoria was paying.

"Looking good, Edward," Victoria nodded her head.

"Really?" I asked, running my hand over my hair.

"Mhmm," she nodded. "Bella's almost done."

As I waited for Bella to finish, I went to my car to find that I'd received a parking ticket for not feeding the meter. To avoid anything else, I hunted through my pockets to find some spare change.

"Hey," a woman's raspy voice call to me, "What's your name?" she asked as I turn to face her.

She had blonde hair and blue eyes. Her shirt was a little too small, as well as her skirt. She should have put on a jacket. It was cold outside.

"Edward," I answered, putting two quarters into the meter.

"That's a sexy name," she smiled, stepping closer. "My name is Lauren."

She was getting too close to me.

"Okay."

"I just got out from finals," she approached. "Yale."

"That's cool," I said. "I have a friend that goes to Yale."

"Really?" she smiled. "Who?"

"Tanya Denali," I mentioned, causing her face to go a little pale.

"Your last name isn't Cullen, is it?" she asked cautiously.

She was inching even closer.

"Uh…yeah?" I answered, not knowing where this was going.

"I know her. She's so caught up in her boyfriend right now," she said nonchalantly. "But I'm single," she slowly ran her finger down my chest. "You could…"

She had officially invaded my personal space.

"Hey, sweetie," Bella smiled, wrapping her arms around my waist. "I'm sorry I took a long time," she apologized. She gave me this sinister grin and raised her eyebrow.

"It's okay," I played along. "Your hair," I noticed. The front part of her hair was in a sort of up-do, while the rest of it flowed down her back in mahogany waves. There was even this braid thing below the up-do part in the back. "It's looks beautiful."

"Really?" she asked, ghosting her hand over the crown of her head. I could tell she was thinking about her bald spot.

"Really," I confirmed, running my hand through her hair. "It's so soft."

"I'm glad you like it," she smiled as a hint of red flushed her cheeks.

"How…sweet," Lauren interrupted our conversation. "Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Bella," she introduced herself, shaking Lauren's hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Lauren," the girl said. "_Tanya's_ friend," she grinned.

Why did she say Tanya's name like that?

"That's lovely," Bella stated as Snooki jumped up on my leg. "Aw," she cooed, picking up the dog. "She misses you," she told me, putting Snooki in my arms. As usual, Snooki cuddled against my chest and nuzzled her small head against my cheek. "She just loves her daddy," Bella smiled as Snooki licked my face.

"I see," Lauren sneered. "It is a cute dog," she reached to pet her. Snooki bit her finger.

"I'm sorry," Bella apologized. "She's overprotective of Edward. We both are," she snuggled into my chest.

"Well…"

"Edward, honey," she turned to me smiling, "The movie starts at eight. We need to get a move on if we're going to make it."

"Yeah," I grinned, walking away and pulling her with me.

"It was nice meeting you, Lauren," Bella waved and Snooki barked.

"Thank you," I showed my gratitude as she wrapped my arm around her.

"You're welcome," she giggled. "You looked like you were thinking about jumping into oncoming traffic to get away from her."

"It wasn't that bad," I pouted as I leaned to put my head on top of hers.

"That was cute," Victoria shook her head as she lit a cigarette. "Really convincing," she looked at Bella and raised her eyebrow.

"Put that shit out," Bella pointed to the cigarette. "You aren't having Cheetah smelling like smoke."

"Never mind," she rolled her eyes, leaning her head towards a man pulling up in a black Range Rover. "That's Henry. His wife is out of town," she informed. "I'll see you later. Be good, you guys," she smirked, getting into the car and disappearing down the street.

"Flaky bitch," Bella watched the car drive out of sight.

"This has been an eventful day," I pointed out, running my hand through my hair.

"It looks really good," she told me. "I'm going to miss the slick look, though," she added grinning.

"I could gel it, if you'd like," I offered.

"Nawwww," she shook her head laughing.

I followed her lead and threw my head back laughing. "She's still watching," I gathered after I looked out the side of my eye. Lauren was staring at us.

"Well…" Bella smiled, stepping closer, "Let's give her something to stare at," she said, grabbing the back of my neck. I found myself staring into her eyes as she moved closer. Then, I felt my body gravitating towards her. Honestly, I didn't know who made the first move. Before I realized it, our lips were moving in harmony. My hands found themselves tangled in her hair, as her tongue sought out mine. I couldn't help but feel this huge electric shock when…

"Excuse me," I woman tapped my shoulder. She had a little girl on her hip. She looked pissed. "There are children present. That's inappropriate," she pointed between Bella and me.

"Sorry," we said in unison before laughing hysterically.

"Wow," Bella drew out.

"That was…weird," I paused.

"Yeah," she looked at her shoes. "I need to go…study for my Lit final. Then, I have to finish my film for tomorrow," she said, backing away.

I remembered what Victoria had said about the possibility of her wanting me to go.

"Would it be alright if I came?" I asked.

"You want to?" she asked, smoothing out her hair. "You don't have to…"

"I want to," I answered. I really did. I was curious about what it could be about.

"It's at the theater by the quad at eight," she shrugged her shoulders. "If you can't make it, it's cool."

"I'll be there."

"Okay," she smiled. "I really need to go," she started walking down the street.

"I'll walk you to your car."

"No!" she shouted, stopping in her tracks. "You don't have to."

"We have this conversation every time I try to do something nice for you," I noted.

"It's a two-minute walk."

"So, it'll be quick," I pulled her along.

Why did she always rebel when someone offered her something?

We walked…slowly… to a parking lot in back of a clothing store. I saw a large crowd surrounding something. Most of the people looking were men. Some were taking pictures of the object of discussion.

"_What model is this?"_

"_This is so badass!"_

"_I'm Tweeting this shit!"_

"Shit!" Bella face-palmed herself. "This is exactly why I don't…" she led off, searching her bag for something. She pulled out what looked to be a black piece of plastic. She pointed the thing at the crowd and a resounding screech was heard, causing the gathering crowd to step back. "See you later," she said, walking to the car.

"Whoa," I whispered as the crowd dispersed and I saw the object causing so much commotion. "What is that?" I asked.

It was obviously a car. I just didn't know what kind of a car it was. It was not like anything I'd ever seen. It kind of resembled something you'd expect to see in the future…or something a superhero would drive.

Bruce Wayne wished he had a car that badass.

"Edward, Cheetah. Cheetah, Edward," she deadpanned, waving between me and the car.

"This is…something."

Yet _another_ thing to add to the mysterious wealth of Bella Swan.

She pressed her thumb on the door and the door opened, the headlights came on, and the top automatically started to drop down. It disappeared into the trunk.

I walked up to the car and stared at it in awe. I wanted to touch it.

"Go on," she smiled, rubbing the hood. I smiled sheepishly and ran my hand along the fender. "You want to ride in it, don't you?"

Now that she mentioned it…

I hopped over the door into the seat, mainly because I didn't know how to open it.

Bella smiled, placing the plastic thing into what looked to be the ignition.

"Hello, Bella," a female computer voice sounded through the speakers.

"Holy shit!" I jumped.

"It's…" she started.

"Unidentified body mass detected," the voice spoke. "Please state your name."

I looked to Bella. She covered her face in her hands. "Just do it," she mumbled, starting the car.

"Edward Cullen," I said, not knowing what was happening.

"Edward Cullen…male…six feet…five inches…one-hundred-ninety-seven pounds," the voice listed my qualities. "Hello, Edward. Please fasten your seatbelt."

Wow.

"I'm so embarrassed," Bella drove off.

"I must say…" I paused, "I never expected this."

"I'm full of surprises," she deadpanned, stopping at a red light.

"Oh…My…" I heard Lauren talking as she took in the sight.

"Oh, hi!" Bella waved at her. As the light turned green, she sped down the road. "Here you go," she stopped next to my car.

"Thanks…for everything. I appreciate what you're doing."

"Don't mention it," she waved it off. "Don't mention this, either," she motioned to her space mobile. "See you tomorrow."

And she was gone.

I drove home in a complete daze. I'd gone through a lot in a little while. I was supposed to call my mom, but I was too worked up over what had happened. What was with Bella? I thought about the time we'd spent together, trying to piece together what she was not telling me. I had a feeling it was important, but all of my thoughts paled in comparison to the recollection of the kiss we had shared on the street. I went to sleep with a brown-eyed, mahogany-haired enigma on my mind.

I went through the next day on autopilot. I had my Biochemistry final today. It was from three to six o'clock. So, as usual, I got up early to study. I decided that since I had different hair, I might as well wear different clothes, too. I didn't do anything to my hair. It looked the same as it did yesterday. I put on a black sweater, some jeans, my new glasses, and my new favorite pair of Converse.

I noticed myself running late so I ran from my car to my class. Again, I noticed people whip their heads to see me when I ran by them. It didn't feel any less awkward. I left just in time to make it to class before the test started. Even though Mike had sullied my notes, I thought I'd done a fairly good job. Hopefully, I'd pulled an "A" in the class.

It was around six thirty when I got back in my car. I went back to my apartment to kill time before heading to Bella's show. I sat around for an hour before my stomach started to growl…loudly. I was glad no one was here to witness it. I made the decision to go and get some Chinese food. I was tired of eating junk food. I wondered if Bella wanted some. I sent her a text.

_**Edward: Chinese food at my place?**_

I quickly placed my order as my phone started to buzz.

_**Bella: Hellz yeah! Eggroll, please?**_

_**Edward: Victoria is welcome, too.**_

_**Bella: She has to pull overtime at the home. She's not pleased.**_

_**Edward: Is she coming to your show?**_

_**Bella: I don't think so.**_

I waited a minute to reply, thinking about what I was going to say. I didn't know if she was mad or not. This seemed like the kind of stuff her parents did. I was just glad that Victoria put it in my mind to ask.

_**Edward: Well…there's some General Tso chicken with your name on it.**_

_**Bella: Be there in thirty.**_

"Edward?" I heard as someone tugged on my shoulder. I turned around to see it was the barista from the coffee shop yesterday. "It's Danielle."

"Hey," I waved, grabbing my order and heading for the door. I didn't remember her name.

"You didn't call me," she pouted, sticking her chest out. "I was insulted."

"I don't have your number."

How could I call her if I didn't have her number?

"I gave it to you on your receipt," she informed. "I even dotted my 'I' with a heart for you," she moved closer.

What was with women invading my space lately?

"I'm sorry," I apologized, walking out the door. "I didn't notice."

"That's comforting," she giggled. "I don't feel so rejected," she followed me. "You seemed really stressed."

"I was," I stopped to talk to her. She seemed really nice. "I've been trying to be more…I don't know," I stammered. "Then, I've been having finals all week."

"You poor thing," she inched closer.

"I guess you can say I'm stressed," I huffed, walking across the street.

"Hey," she stopped me again. "Can I…use your bathroom?" she asked. "I've had to go for the longest time. I hate using public restrooms."

I knew about that. The thought of using a toilet that thousands of others had used was horrifying. How could you tell if they had been cleaned properly?

"Of course," I agreed. "I totally understand."

I led her through the hallway to my apartment. She seemed to be impressed.

"This is a really nice apartment," she smiled widely. "You must be rich."

"Uh…" I paused. Mom always told me that it was in poor taste to talk about your wealth in conversation. "The bathroom is down the hall to the right," I told her.

I turned around and went to the kitchen. I placed the food in the oven. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too cold when Bella got here. Cold Chinese food tasted delicious, though.

Where was she, anyway? I also forgot to ask if she was bringing Snooki. I think I had some dog food left. I was not sure if it was enough. I should have bought some more.

I took out my phone to call her when I noticed Danielle's jacket was on the floor. I walked into the hallway to pick it up when I noticed that her shoes and her pants were on the floor, too. If she continued, she was going to be nak…

"Oh, my God," I whispered, finally catching on.

There was a naked girl in my apartment somewhere. I could go looking for her, but I was not sure if that was a good idea. Was she trying to seduce me? I didn't even know her. What type of women did that?

Bella!

Was she going to be mad if she saw her here? I didn't want her to think that I was in the habit of inviting girls over here for that purpose. Besides, I was out of practice in that department.

"Eeeeedward," I heard Danielle whisper-sing from somewhere in the apartment, "Come and get me." I had no clue where it came from. This was a big apartment. She could have been anywhere!

"Um…" I paused, thinking of a plan, "One second!" I called back.

I was not equipped to deal with this.

I hurried back into the kitchen and dialed Bella's number.

"Yeah?" she answered quickly. I could hear the sounds of her driving. "What's up?"

"There's a naked girl in my apartment!" I whispered, hoping not to give away my location.

"Oh," she said lowly. "I can just meet you at the show if you want to…you know," she said. "I'd…"

"I don't want to have sex with her."

"Then, how did she end up naked in your apartment?" she asked, in a somewhat clipped tone.

"I don't know. I was getting some food. Then, she saw me and recognized me from the coffee shop. She asked if she could use my bathroom. Bella, you know how wretched public facilities can be," I paused. "I didn't know."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know," I confessed. "I just know that I'm not equipped for this."

"Actually…" she paused, "You are," she giggled.

"Can you just think of something?" I pleaded.

"I'm almost there," she laughed some more. "Hold on."

"I'm getting lonely," Danielle said in a singsong voice. "I might have to start without you."

"She's getting closer," I whispered, checking my surroundings. "Hurry!"

"Yeah, yeah," Bella laughed and hung up the phone.

"I can't believe this is happen…"

"You're so fucking hot," Danielle popped up out of nowhere and grabbed me. She had on a tiny matching purple and black bra and thong set. She might as well have been naked!

"Uh…"

"When I saw you last night at Jack's," she kissed me roughly, "I wanted to fuck you over the counter…and let everyone watch," she licked my neck.

"That's very nice of you to say," I said, pushing her away.

"I've been thinking about you all day," she ran her hands under my sweater. I tried my best to hold the sweater down. "You like it with your clothes on?" she asked grinning. "Kinky. I like it."

She moved to unbuckle my pants and had my jeans pushed down despite my trying to stop her. She was deceptively strong for a girl.

"I think you have the wrong…"

"You have a big cock, don't you?" she asked, getting on her knees and moving to take off her bra. "I can't wait to…"

"EDWARD!" I heard Bella shout as she banged on the door. "YOU BETTER OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" she added as the banging on the door got louder.

"Who the fuck is that?" Danielle asked fearfully.

"Bella," I smiled.

The cavalry had come.

I pushed Danielle off of me and refastened my pants. She hid behind the wall in the kitchen. I speed walked to the door to find Bella giggling.

"Is she still here?" Bella whispered as Snooki ran into the apartment. I nodded my head. "Play along."

"Okay."

"You bastard!" she yelled at me. She pushed me inside the door and started slapping my chest. It didn't hurt. "How could you?"

"What?"

"I know you're fucking cheating on me again!" she cried. "Victoria saw you with her at Mr. Wong's."

"Bella…"

"Don't!" she smacked me again. "Is she still…" she paused, "Edward, I see her clothes!" she pointed to the pile of clothes that led to the bathroom. For a second, I could see her fighting not to laugh. She was taking too much joy in my turmoil. "She's here? Edward!" she cried louder. "Again?" she asked. "You can't keep doing this!" she yelled. "We're having a baby! We're trying to be a family! You can't keep doing this to us! We need you!" she rushed, her cries gaining even more volume.

"Oh, my God," Danielle came out from behind the wall. "Who cheats on their **pregnant** girlfriend?" she asked in disgust. "You're such an asshole," she yelled before smacking me in the face. That hurt. A lot. "He's not worth it," she told Bella. "You're hot. Find someone who's not a douchebag," she advised, gathering her clothes. "I'm outie," she stormed to the door, leaving in a huff.

"That was fun," Bella laughed, wiping her tears away. "I'm hungry. Where's the food?"

She was so awesome.

We spent the next hour watching a rerun of _Law_ _&_ _Order_ and eating warm Chinese food. It was nice. I loved being around Bella. She made everything so…Bella. I was not sure if she felt it, too, or not, but it was like something was different between us. It was like I saw her differently. I always knew she was beautiful. That much was obvious. She just seemed…more. For a split second, I thought back to that kiss we had shared yesterday. Was that why?

After dinner, we took the "mom mobile" to the show. Bella borrowed one of Victoria's big purses so she could smuggle Snooki inside. There wasn't anyone to watch her.

Her outfit was a little out there, as usual. She had on a white dress, sky blue heels with polka dots, her beloved bangles, rings, and one of those tiny top hats that British people always wore. Apparently, even if she couldn't have wigs, she was still going to rock her "fuck-awesome" style. Her words, not mine.

The film festival seemed to be a bigger affair than Bella let on. All of the influential people from Harvard were present. The theater was filled to the rafters. The films were shown on this gigantic HD screen. Bella didn't tell me that only four people in the whole university were chosen to even enter the competition in the first place. Big names from Hollywood and Broadway were present, making short speeches and small talk with the contestants. Most of them seemed to be very taken with her. Her competitors on the other hand looked like they hated her guts.

The first film was about a man who suspected that his wife was cheating on him. So, he started sleeping with her best friend to spite her. However, the wife wasn't cheating so he tried to hide the affair. The second film was about a blind white girl who fell in love with a black man in the south during the 1950s. The third one was about a murder mystery. A man was killed. The detective had it down to one suspect, but the main suspect had a twin. They both confessed to the murder and the detective had to figure out which one committed the crime.

They were all good, but I was excited to see how Bella's turned out. I hoped her editing turned out okay. She'd started on it a little late. I wasn't disappointed. Hers was about a high-profile family that was torn apart by the divorce of the parents. The siblings took sides in hopes of getting into the favor of the parent they felt would have the most after the settlement. It was fantastic. It had this great part in it, like part of the movie had been shot like a silent film. I wished it were longer.

When the lights came on, everyone started clapping. It startled Bella. She'd slept through the entire thing.

"It's with great pleasure," the MC started after a short deliberation, "that I present this year's Harvard Film Festival Award to…BELLA SWAN!" he announced to a round of applause.

Bella smiled slightly before going to receive her prize. In addition to winning a trophy, she'd won ten thousand dollars and an internship at Warner Bros. in the summer. Bella spent the next forty-five minutes talking to people who clearly made her uncomfortable. It was my turn to rescue her.

"You want me to get the car?"

"Yes," she nodded her head profusely. "I feel like I'm fucking dying here," she pouted.

I took Snooki and pulled the car to the front, looking for Bella. Eventually, I spotted her talking to who looked to be the representative from Warner Bros. I walked up to her to tell her that the car was ready.

"Are you serious?" he asked, taken aback.

"Yes," Bella nodded her head, tucking her gigantic trophy under her arm.

"You're giving your internship away to the second prize winner?" he asked confused.

"Yes," Bella confirmed. "She wants it more."

"Yours was better," he argued. "It was miles better. I don't see why you'd give up such an opportunity."

"She wants it more," Bella reasoned. "While my material may be better, she has a hunger that I don't have," she started. "I don't even know why I took this class."

"You realize what you're doing?"

"Yep," she smiled, popping the "p."

"Are you going to give the money away, too?"

"There are homeless orphans somewhere," she shrugged her shoulders.

I stood far enough away so that she didn't see me. I waited until he walked away before I approached her.

"You ready?" I asked, holding out my arm for her.

"I've been ready for the past four hours," she sighed as I walked her to the car.

Bella had given up her internship? I'd always thought that most people would kill for an opportunity like that. But she just…gave it away. I didn't understand her. But, I was afraid to ask. She could get a little sensitive sometimes. I decided to drop my investigation before it started. I didn't care about all the mysterious stuff. Not really. I was just happy that we were friends.

Bella told me that she was afraid to go back to her house because she was afraid of what position she would find Victoria in. Her words, not mine. Again. So, we went back to my apartment and hung out.

"Congratulations," I hugged her. I didn't think I'd told her earlier.

"All in a day's work…literally," she snorted a little, taking off her shoes and her jewelry. She was just in her dress now.

We sat with Snooki on the couch, flipping channels until we decided to watch _Enchanted_.

"I thought you didn't like Disney princess movies," I pointed out, getting under the throw I kept on the couch.

"It's a spoof," she retorted. "It's different…and funny."

"I don't see a difference," I countered. "You have a prince, a princess, and a witch."

"But," she interjected, "It's set in real life. That way, you know how ridiculous Disney movies are. Disney is making fun of itself. You've got to love it," she shook her head, getting up to go to the kitchen.

"Cynic," I teased as she handed me a can of Coke.

"When is the last time you felt like singing a random song in the middle of the street because you were in love?" she asked, rolling her eyes and taking a bite out of an apple. "Fuck, I love these," her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

"Good to know."

"Shut up," she pinched my shoulder. "Where did you get these? They're so juicy."

"The farmer's market," I answered as the doorbell rang. "I'll get it."

"I have to get me some of these. They've got to be Granny Smith apples," she moaned before taking another bite.

I laughed at how she took so much joy in eating an apple…as opposed to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I opened the door to a very familiar blonde in my doorway.

"Edward, I'm so sorry."

**BELLA**

"What the fuck are we doing here?" Victoria huffed, pacing around and rubbing her hands together.

"Calm your tits," I rolled my eyes. "It's not that cold."

"Yes, it is," she replied. "I'm freezing fucking my tits _off _out here. You must be warm-blooded or something."

I thought back to her question. What the fuck _was_ I doing here? To be honest, I hadn't been thinking clearly for the past couple of days. It was Edward's fault. All of it.

When all the shit happened with my parents, I just wanted to be alone. Then, Edward came and we had an awesome night getting drunk and talking about all of the problems in our life. It definitely wasn't how I'd pictured my evening going. Yet, I was oddly pleased. I even cried in front of him. That was strangely… odd for me. He even went to the fair with me and Victoria. That was awesome…hanging out with him. Victoria and I had had sleepovers before. We'd gone out before. It was just…different with Edward. He was there for me when I didn't even know I needed him. He was an awesome friend. He was just so…sweet. Almost sickeningly so. Really, who would take in someone they barely knew, welcoming them into their home? Edward would. I wondered to myself if I would have done the same for him. I was surprised to realize that I would have.

I guess that was what friends did.

So, when he mentioned how much of a loser he thought he was, I had to stop him. How could he think of himself in such low terms? Couldn't he see how awesome he was? From that moment on, I made it my mission to make him see. The first step was trying to get him to do something different… at least with his hair.

"We're here to help Edward," I explained. "Well…I'm here to help Edward. You're a stowaway," I reminded her. Victoria had almost gotten fired…and arrested, for threatening to kill an old guy. He deserved it, but still. He was old. He was probably senile or had dementia or something. Anyway, she got placed on _suggested_ _leave_. She couldn't come back until next week. So, she hopped in the car and came along for the ride.

"We're getting our hair done, right?" she asked, running her hands through her hair. "Let's get started without him."

"No," I stated...again, "Edward is getting _his_ hair done. We're here for moral support." I knew how sensitive Edward was about his appearance. I failed to see how Edward could think he was ugly. He was cute…in an Edward sort of way. Don't ask. I didn't want him to think I was trying to call him ugly. I figured that if I went with him, it would make it easier.

"Why do you care so…?" she led off before raising her perfectly arched eyebrow. "Wait a minute. You like Edward!" she shouted, pointing at me.

Huh?

"No, I don't, not like that, anyway." I denied. "I just want to help him gain some confidence."

"Sure you do," she smiled. "And you want to gain his peen."

"Victoria," I warned. "Don't…"

"Yes, you do," she giggled. "You want Edward's cock. Bad."

"We're friends."

Seriously. Edward and I were _just_ friends. I loved hanging out with him and he got me, sure, but we were just friends. Yeah.

"I'll bet he could find your g-spot using theorems and angles and shit."

"I'm just trying to help him figure out how amazing he is," I told her. "Everyone should feel good about themselves."

"And we'll be back with more of Oprah," she replied in a newscaster voice. "Are you listening to yourself? When's the last time you've taken me…your best friend…to get our hair done? I know. NEVER."

"You know I don't like getting my hair done," I ran my fingers through my hair, feeling my bald spot.

It was true. I avoided going to the hairdresser as long as possible. Thanks to my bald spot, the stylist either giggled or acted awkward around me for the rest of the time. It was not worth it.

"Yet…here we are," she started getting closer, "in front of the top hair salon in Boston…so you can help Edward…who's just a friend," she smiled.

"He _is_ just a friend."

"Bullshit," she grinned sinisterly. "You want him. I'm excited. I really am. It's good to know that you think with your vagina like the rest of us mere mortals from time to time. It's nice to see you crushing on someone."

"I'm not thinking with my vag!" I answered, looking for Edward's car. "He's a friend."

"It's cool, though," she nodded her head. "He's hot in a… do my homework…kind of way."

"Seriously?" I asked. I was tired of this conversation. "There's nothing…"

"He's a friend. I got it," she paused. "A friend that you wanna _fuck_," she started singing again, before bursting into giggles.

"Do not..."

"Stop it."

"Uh huh."

"Nuh uh."

"This is too funny," Victoria laughed, holding her stomach. "Do, too."

"Do not."

Seriously. I was getting annoyed.

"Do, too."

"Do. Not."

At this point, I was slapping her arm with my hands.

"You making your response into two sentences won't throw me off of the fact that you…do," she paused, to shield herself from my fist.

"No."

"Yes."

"Do not."

"Da Nile ain't just a river in Egypt, babe," Victoria contorted her body to get away from me. "Hi, Edward," she waved behind me.

"Hi," he waved back awkwardly.

Shit! Did he hear our conversation? I didn't want him to act awkward or anything. Great. Now it was going to be weird. After thinking, I figure that if he'd heard our conversation, he would have made some bullshit excuse to go home. Since he didn't, I figured he didn't hear much. I couldn't figure out why it bothered me so much at the thought that he could have heard what we'd said.

He ended up being open to getting a haircut. I just hoped he didn't regret it. Unfortunately, I would have to forego any wigs for two weeks. Normally, I would have told anyone else to go fuck themselves. But…not Edward. I wanted to help him. If that meant going without wigs for a little while, I'd do it. I almost wanted to go home when Victoria dropped my name in order to get us seen. By the look Nahuel gave me, she must have told him who my father was...or who my mother was…or who my stepfather was.

Shit.

To my surprise, Nahuel spent his time with Edward instead of me. Edward looked so cute and scared of the hairdresser. His eyes kept following the path of his scissors. I was not even sure that Nahuel noticed his distress. Edward was so nervous. I mean, come on. It was just a haircut.

I felt my phone buzzing. I wondered who it could be. The only two people I really talked to were with me.

**Dad: Are you still mad?**

**Me: Apparently.**

**Dad: Come on. **

**Me: I don't think so. **

Ever since the failed attempt at a family dinner, my father had become extra intent on spending time with me. Pssh. I'd been through this before. When I wanted to spend time with him, it was impossible. When I couldn't care less whether or not he fell off the face of the Earth, then he decided to attempt to act like a parent. It was the whole I-want-what-I-can't-have shit.

I was over it.

**Dad: What are you doing next weekend?**

Most likely, I wouldn't be doing anything important. Finals would be over, then, the holidays.

**Me: Not talking to you.**

I angrily replied to him and shut off my phone…just in time to see Edward.

Whoa.

Nahuel had taken a lot of his hair off. Most of the cutting had been done on the sides, leaving the top artfully tousled; giving him what Victoria called a "freshly fucked" look. Honestly, it looked similar to what he'd had…just much shorter on the sides. But…damn, he looked hot. It really brought out his cheekbones. I was still in awe over how angular his face was. It was almost like someone had carved his face out of marble. Plus, another benefit of the haircut was that you could see Edward's eyes. I mean _really_ see them. Every time I looked at them, I was amazed at how green they were. I didn't think Crayola had a color that matched it. That said something.

If only I could get him to wear contacts instead of glasses.

"Wow," I whispered, hoping I didn't say it too loud.

"Is it okay?" he asked, self-consciously running his fingers through his hair. He squinted his eyes, as though he was waiting for an insult. I smiled and shook my head. Yeah. He was still the same old Edward. Then, he looked into my eyes and I couldn't think. They were so…green.

"Uh...it's…it's good," I stuttered like an idiot. What was wrong with me?

It was a good thing he went to go get us some hot chocolate. I was starting to lose it.

"What a gorgeous piece of meat," Nahuel watched him walk away. "You're welcome," he patted my head and walked away.

"So…" Victoria glided over to me, "About this whole…_friend_…business, you wouldn't mind if I fucked Edward, would you?" she asked.

"NO WAY!" I shouted, crossing my arms. "I can't believe you asked me that. He's not your type, anyway," I rolled my eyes.

"Confirmation, ladies and gentlemen," she twirled around in a circle. "You like Edward."

"No, I don't," I argued. "I don't think that…"

"Sure," she looked out the window. "Ooh, it looks like Edward is about to get his dick wet pretty soon, anyway."

"What?" I asked, looking to where she was pointing. "Ew," I couldn't help but gag as I saw what was about to happen.

Some blonde bitch was hanging all over Edward. She was dragging her finger down his chest and smiling her wide, most likely veneered smile. Her entire outfit was at least two sizes too small. She was so not his type.

"Pssh," I rolled my eyes, sitting down. "She's not his type. She's too skanky," I said annoyed.

"What is his type exactly?" Vic asked. "A hot, nice, rich, philanthropic, sarcastic, take-no-shit kind of girl...named Isabella Swan?"

"I don't see him with a girl like…like that," I pointed to the skank. "He should be with a girl who's…not her," I said…a little defensively.

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why the blonde bimbo annoyed me…or why I wanted to burn her with a hot curling iron.

"She's getting a little closer," Victoria raised her eyebrow as the bitch in question got in Edward's personal bubble.

Whore.

Edward finally turned around so I could see his face. He looked way too uncomfortable. He might run into the middle of the street to get away from her and get hit. Couldn't this chick take a hint?

"I'll uh… be right back," I rushed, taking Snooki outside. "I need to walk Snooki," I excused, heading out of the door.

I wasn't lying. If Snooki didn't get a walk in, she'd chew everything in sight once we got home. I think she had doggie ADHD or something.

I walked with my dog down the street. I didn't know if Edward needed or wanted my help. So, I figured I'd be able to tell once I got close enough. As I got closer, I saw Edward scrunch his face up, giving evidence of how uncomfortable his was. He was positioned between his car and the sidewalk with the slut in front of him. I was worried.

"I'm single," the bitch ran her finger down Edward's chest slowly. Edward's lip started to tremble. Was he going to barf? "You could…"

"Hey, sweetie," I interrupted, throwing my arm around his shoulder. I hugged him a little bit. He smelled nice. I couldn't really describe it. He must have been one of those people who had their own natural scent or something. It was nice. "I'm sorry I took a long time."

So, we gave the slut…Lauren…a show. To be honest, it was funny as Hell to see the look on her face when she thought Edward and I were a couple. Snooki even got in on the action, giving Edward doggie kisses. For some reason, Snooki _**loved**_ Edward.

Then, we kissed. It wasn't an over-the-top Hollywood ending type of kiss. It was simple…with a little tongue. But…it felt like more. I was not sure if he felt the same type of sharp jolt like the one that shot up and down my spine during the short time our lips were locked. It scared me a little…in a good way.

Afterwards, he insisted on walking me to my car. This led to the awkward appearance of Cheetah…one of the many over-the-top guilt gifts my father had given me. A small part of me had to admit that the car was a little cool. It was the only one ever made. So, that was pretty cool. Besides that, I felt it was ostentatious and wasteful. Being a guy, Edward thought it was awesome. Once we gave Lauren an encore performance, I dropped a happy and eager Edward off at his car.

That was the first night I dreamed of Edward Cullen.

I didn't have any finals the next day. I spent about an hour studying for my Psych final. I remembered everything we had talked about in that class, anyway. I'd have to have a seizure in the middle of the final not to get an "A" in that class. Then, I spent three hours editing my video. I was only about halfway done. It was pissing me off. I cut some serious corners, but I got it done. My professor made a big deal out of the festival, saying that I should be honored that he'd picked me. Newsflash, I didn't _ask_ to be picked. He just came up to me one day and said, "Congratulations!" I didn't even know Harvard had a film festival.

Yesterday in class, he told the four competitors to make sure we "looked presentable" while staring me down. I knew that look. It was one I'd seen many times before…that don't-dress-like-a-weirdo look my mom used to give me when I first started college. Fuck him. I'd wear what I wanted.

Before I knew it, I was getting ready for the festival. Most people would be excited. I just wanted it to be over. Some people needed to buy Chapstick for all the ass they were going to be kissing tonight. At least Victoria and Edward would be there to support me. I wasn't sure if I should invite Edward or not. He was one of those people who liked to study a lot. I didn't want him to feel like he had to go, so I didn't ask him. I was surprised that he asked if could come. It would be nice to have him there. Once again, I got a text. I rolled my eyes. I had a feeling who it was.

**Dad: Good luck at your film festival.**

What?

**Me: How did you know about that?**

**Dad: I'm me. That's why. You should know these things. **

**Me: Thanks.**

**Dad: What are you doing?**

**Me: Minding my own business…something you're not doing. **

I ignored my phone, rifling through my closet to find an outfit. I decided to do a simple white dress with blue accessories and shoes. I even found this cute fascinator hat I had bought when I lived in London when I was thirteen. I heard the telltale ringtone of _My Best Friend_, the theme song from the show, _Rob and Big_. I loved that show.

"Hey, whore," I laughed into the phone. That was my nickname for her. She was cool with it. "What's going on?"

"Nothing much, bitch," she sighed.

"What's wrong?" I asked. The last time she sighed like that, her father had taken her Ferrari away. She cried for days.

"I can't make it to your festival thing," she huffed.

"What? Why?" I asked, picking out shoes.

"I have to make up for the time I was forced to take off when I threatened Mr. Turner…old pervy…asshole," she muttered. "You know if my freedom wasn't riding on this, I'd tell them to suck it," she said.

"It's okay," I said lowly.

Honestly, I was a little disappointed that she couldn't make it. It wouldn't be the first time someone had bailed on me. At least Edward would be there. We'd have fun.

A few minutes after I hung up from Vic, I got a text.

I looked at the text and my mood immediately lifted. Edward was so awesome, inviting me for Chinese food before the festival.

I had another two hours before I had to be at the ceremony. As I got in the car, I got a phone call from Edward. It must have been serious. He was more of a text sender. When I answered, I never expected him to tell me he had a naked woman in his apartment.

What the hell?

I was not helping him so he could go and screw random whores. Seriously. Who would fuck someone that they'd just met? Ew. I'd bet that bitch was hideous. Then again, if he wanted to…who was I to stop him? Once I talked to him a bit, it seemed as though not only did he not want to have sex with her…he was terrified.

I saved the day. Again.

It was hilarious. The look on Edward's face when I screamed about being pregnant would live on in my mind forever. We chilled out, watched TV, and ate Chinese food. That was why I loved hanging out with Edward. Neither of us were huge partiers. Our drunken sleepover gave proof of that. I was content with staying inside and reading a good book. He was the same way. He got it…he got me.

I didn't remember what happened at the film festival…mostly because I was asleep. Edward shook me awake once my film was finished. I sat in my chair, waiting for the bore-fest to end and my name was called.

I'd won.

Seriously?

I only worked on that thing for a combined total of like twelve hours. Mine was good. I would admit it. But…Shawna Stewart, the girl that got second place… ate, slept, and shit this competition. Every time I saw her, she was working on it. As people walked up to me to shake my hand, I saw her eyes water and her lip quiver before she rushed out. I started to feel guilty. I didn't even like this class…let alone want to get an internship at Warner Bros. Why was I here? I was not passionate about this. Shawna was.

So…I did the right thing. Some might have called it stupid. I called it noble.

I rejected the prize and demanded that Shawna get it. I didn't care how they justified it. I just knew that I wouldn't take away an opportunity that she wanted and needed so desperately. It felt good to help her achieve her dream and it made my night. I hoped it worked out for her.

Aside from the goodness I felt for helping her, I also held a sense of dread and disappointment. I was in college. I took classes. I exceeded in most of them…except Calc II. Yet, I couldn't find anything I was truly passionate about. It bothered me. When I graduated, I wanted to find a job I found meaningful. I wanted to be excited about waking up and getting started on my day. I didn't want to work for my father….or mother…or stepfather…or be a fucking model. I had no desire to just do something because it made a large amount of money…or because I was pretty…or because I was good at it.

I wanted to have a job I loved. I guess I was just being naïve when it came to that. I pushed the normal sense of disappointment away. I was psyched to chill with Edward and not do anything else.

However, someone else had other ideas about how our evening would go...

**Cliffhanger! I know. I'm evil. Who do you think it is? You get two guesses. **


	7. Chapter 7

**EMOTIONAL WARFARE**

**Who was at the door? Let's see...**

**Chapter Seven**

**EDWARD**

"Edward, I'm so sorry."

I stood at my door in shock…and a little bit in awe.

"Jasper?" I questioned, confused. "What are you doing here? It's almost midnight."

"Uncle Eddie's in trouble," my niece, Alexia, teased.

"Huh?" I asked, running my hand through my hair.

"Your sister is on a rampage," he explained, stepping inside the door. "She found out, gathered us in the car, and drove us here," he clarified.

"From New York?"

My brother-in-law nodded his head. "I tried to stop her."

Why on Earth would Alice drive from New York to Boston in the middle of the night?

"I'm tired," my niece complained. "Do you have any candy?"

"It's too late, sweetie," I refused her request, earning a pout. "What am I in trouble…?"

"Okay, Edward," my sister, Alice, stomped through the door, "Cough her up!"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, growing more confused by the second.

"Really?" she retorted annoyed. "Is this the game we're playing?" she questioned. "Then, what is this?" she pulled out her phone and shoved it in my face.

"Oh," I stated.

There on my sister's phone was a picture of Bella and me making out on the street yesterday. How did she get it?

"Yeah, oh," she rolled her eyes. "Irina Denali forwarded it to me. Do you know how much it sucks to find out your brother has a new girlfriend from his ex-girlfriend's sister?" she asked, hitting me on the head. "Where is she?"

Girlfriend? Bella was not my girlfriend. Why did people think she was my girlfriend? This was a horrible misunderstanding. We were not dating. I mean we were around each other a lot and we'd kissed…a wonderful…electric kiss. But…

"I can't believe you didn't tell…"

"Uh…Edward?" Bella awkwardly interrupted, finishing her apple.

"Yay!" Alice clapped her hands. "It's so nice to meet you," she pranced over to shake Bella's hand. "I'm Alice."

"Oh!" Bella smiled. "You're Edward's sister," she recognized her. "I remember you from the picture Edward showed me," she added. "You really _are_ tiny," she joked. "I don't think I'll stand next to you. You'll make me look fat," she moved to stand next to me.

"Bahaha! You're hilarious," my sister laughed. "This is my husband, Jasper," she ushered Jasper forward to shake Bella's hand. "And this is our little Alexia," she introduced my niece who hid behind her father's leg.

"Hey, Alexia," Bella introduced herself. "I'm Bella."

"Hello," Lexi waved shyly.

"You're a very pretty girl," Bella smiled as Lexi giggled and then her eyes lit up.

"Is that your dog?" she asked, pointing to Snooki who was looking at the scene before her in what looked to be great anticipation.

"Yeah," Bella nodded her head. "Do you want to pet her? She likes pretty little girls."

"Does she bite?" Lexi answered, squinting her eyes.

"Nope," Bella shook her head wildly. "She only bites meanies. You aren't a meanie are you?" My niece shook her head and went to play with the dog.

"She's a pretty dog," she laughed, petting Snooki. The dog adored the attention.

"Awww," Alice hugged Bella. "You're so pretty," she gushed. "I love your hair," my sister cooed, moving her hand to pet Bella's hair.

"Thanks," Bella grinned, running her hand over her hair, effectively blocking my sister's attempt to touch it. "It was Edward's idea."

Well played. I was a little afraid she would swat Alice's hand away.

"Well, it's…Oh, my God," my sister ran her hands over my new haircut. "You're hair? It's not greasy anymore!" she shrieked. "I love it!"

"Thanks," I smiled awkwardly as she took a picture of it with her phone for my ID picture.

"It's a little late," Jasper stepped in, no doubt trying to influence Alice to leave.

"It is, isn't it?" my sister realized. "Were we interrupting you?" she asked embarrassed. "You two look so dressed up."

"We just came back from my film festival," Bella answered awkwardly. She looked at me out of the side of her eye. She was just as confused as I was.

"She actually won first place," I boasted for my friend.

"That's great," Alice smiled. "I love your dress."

I wondered what she would say if she saw Bella's entire wardrobe. Her wigs?

"Thanks. I like your coat."

"Well…" she paused, "I had to look fabulous when I killed Edward for not telling anyone about his gorgeous girlfriend," Alice smiled joking.

"Hmm…" Bella wrung her hands, looking at the door.

She wanted to leave. I knew it. This was making her uncomfortable. She looked at me. I needed to fix this. I didn't want her to leave.

"Alice…"

"You're lucky I got to you first," my sibling boasted. "Mom was _pissed_ when Heidi told her."

Mom knew? How?

"Um…" Bella started.

"I can't wait for you to meet our parents," Alice gushed, sitting down on the couch. "They're going to love you," she rushed. "You're coming to the week getaway, aren't you?" she asked, bouncing on the couch. "Emmett is going to have a field day."

"Well…" I started.

"I'm so happy for you, big brother," she kissed me on the cheek. "I can't wait. This is going to be epic. We need some fresh blood."

"Ali, sweetie," Jasper interrupted softly, "It's late. We should be getting back."

"Are you sure?" Bella asked hesitantly. "It's late. Do you want to be out driving at this time of night?"

"We don't want to impose," Alice got up.

"Never," I shook my head. I didn't want my family driving at night when they were tired. Then, you had the drunk drivers you had to deal with. This was a college town, after all. "You can stay in one of the guestrooms."

"I guess so," Jasper nodded. "We can head back later after we get some rest."

"No school?" Alexia asked excitedly. "Yay!" she screamed as Snooki barked with her.

"You're so thoughtful," she got up to hug Bella again. "I didn't even…"

"It's okay," Bella smiled, turning to me. "I've got to go," she got her jewelry and headed to the door.

"We just got here. You don't have to go," Alice stated.

"Yeah," I agreed, looking into her eyes. "Don't go," I asked.

She just got here. I liked it when she was here.

"I have a Psychology final in the morning," she excused. "Plus, you probably want your family time and stuff," she rushed. "Snooki can stay here. Lexi seemed to be enjoying her," she smiled, grabbing her coat.

"You don't have to leave," I reminded her one last time, hoping she'd take the bait and stay. I didn't want her gone.

I was not looking forward to the look of pity on their faces when I told them Bella and I weren't dating. I was hoping that Bella would stay the night again. We'd had fun when that happened….just not so much drinking.

"It's okay," she hugged me. "Call me after you're finished with class," she ordered, kissing me on the cheek.

There was that spark again.

"Cute," Alice whispered after the door closed. "Seriously, Edward, your girlfriend is smoking hot."

"Alice," I started. "We're kind of…"

"Mommy, I'm tired," Lexi chimed in, rubbing her eyes.

"Okay, sweetie," she scooped her up. "Let's get to bed."

After that, everyone went to bed so I didn't get a chance to set the record straight. Once again, I had an unexpected turn in my day. I didn't even know why I was surprised. How was I going to break it to them? Alice seemed to really like Bella. Well…who didn't like Bella? She was awesome. Was she not going to want to be my friend anymore? Would this make it too awkward? Maybe she could get to know my family as a friend? I think they'd get along. Would they?

I wondered where she was. Did she go home? I remembered her saying that she wasn't ready to go home yet. Did she make it there okay? I should have asked her to call me. Crazy people stalked the streets at night. She looked really pretty tonight. I wondered if I could convince her to stop wearing wigs. She looked so much more beautiful with her real hair. I touched the spot on my cheek where she had kissed me and smiled. Was it normal to feel that spark every time you touched someone? It never happened between Tanya and me. This whole thing was confusing. I went to bed confused and anxious.

I woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs. I put on my glasses and walked out to see Alice cooking breakfast.

"Uncle Eddie!" Lexi shouted. "You're awake," she waved at me with one hand and patted Snooki on the head with the other. She insisted on the dog sleeping in the bed with her last night.

"Finally," Jasper exhaled dramatically. "I was ten minutes away from putting my finger under your nose to check if you were still breathing.

"I had trouble sleeping," I told them, making myself a plate.

"Thinking about Bella?" Alice asked in a teasing tone.

"I guess you could say that," I mumbled, taking a sip of grape juice.

"You two are so damn cute," my sister sat down next to her husband.

"She's really pretty," Lexi nodded her head. "She looks like Belle from _Beauty and the Beast_."

With that comment, I spit out my juice from laughing so hard. As much as Bella hated Disney movies, she'd die if someone said that to her.

"You know what? She does," I agreed with her, wiping some juice from my face.

"Esme wants to talk to you," Jasper informed me.

"Yes, she does," my sister chimed in. "She's not pleased with you, Sir."

"Ooh," Lexi giggled, feeding Snooki a small piece of bacon.

This was going too far. I needed to come clean. This was getting to be ridiculous.

"We're not even…" I started, throwing up my hands as my phone rang.

"Right on time," Jasper grinned, taking a bite of eggs.

I huffed, going back to my room to take the call.

"Hello," I greeted, wanting to get it over with.

"Your mother is disappointed in you, Son," Dad breathed into the phone. Next, I heard my mom in the background, talking to my dad. "Here she is."

"Hey, Mom."

"Edward Cullen," mom growled into the phone, "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked hurt. "I asked you if anything was different. You said no," she accused.

Shit. I'd hurt her feelings.

"Mom," I started, "It's not what you think."

It was time to come clean. Hopefully, mom would let me get a word in.

"Is it because of the money?" she asked, trying to guess. "It's okay, sweetie. You know we aren't like that."

Growing up as privileged as I did, there were two types of people. Those that liked to rub their wealth in people's faces and make others feel bad, and those that didn't. I came from a lot money. A lot. It tended to make some people either overfriendly or uncomfortable. When they found out who I was, they either acted jealous or wanted to be my best friend. It was ridiculous.

Bella wasn't like that. I didn't know much about Bella, but I knew she was not poor.

"It's not that," I rolled my eyes.

"I was humiliated," mom restarted sadly. "I couldn't believe that Tanya's mom had to tell me. I can't believe it," I could hear her pouting over the phone. That was where Alice got it from.

"Mom, Bella's not p…"

"At first," she interrupted, "I was mad at first. I mean, you had the entire family feeling terrible about all that happened last summer," she started. "You were distant, you wouldn't talk to anyone. I was so nervous about what would happen next week. You know…with Tanya and her new boyfriend being here. I couldn't understand why you wouldn't tell me."

I was right. I **knew** they were feeling sorry for me. I closed my eyes and thought of all the sad looks I got when I was home. It was going to suck having everyone walk on eggshells around me. I was not looking forward to it. Maybe…

"But now I understand," Mom giggled softly. "You were just falling in love again," she paused. "I can't wait to meet her since I'm sure you'll be bringing her here for The Celebration," she gushed. "Alice thinks she's lovely…and apparently very hot," she laughed.

I liked how she was talking to me. It was like nothing ever happened. I snuck a peek out of my room to see my sister and her family having fun in my kitchen with no awkward feelings. It felt normal…not as normal as when Bella was here…but still normal.

"Okaaaay," I drawled out.

Oh. God. Bella was going to kill me.

"Is there anything I need to know about her diet?" mom questioned. "I'm starting to plan the menu for next week."

"Yes," I confirmed. "She can't eat nuts. She's deathly allergic to them," I remembered from the story Bella had told me about a Payday bar.

"Aw," mom sighed, "Poor dear. We'll be ready for her when she comes," she said as I heard her writing something down. "I'll see you next week, honey. I look forward to seeing you both," she finished.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too," she beamed. "Ahhh…my baby boy," she sighed happily. "I'm gonna let you go. Okay?" she said.

Was she crying?

"Okay, Mom, bye."

I walked out into the kitchen, trying to think of what I was going to do. I couldn't tell them now. Everyone was all excited. Damn, my mom even cried. I couldn't disappoint them. How was Bella going to take this? I knew how. She would kill me. I remembered how fast she left last night. There was no way she was going to agree to this. She had to, though. I would convince her. We were friends, right? Friends helped each other.

I needed a friend now more than ever. To be honest, it would be awesome if Bella came, even if it wasn't as boyfriend/girlfriend. She was a lot of fun. I loved having her around.

"Edward!" Alice waved her hand in my face. "What time is your final?" she asked. "It's two o'clock."

It's that late already?

"Shit!" I yelled, running back to my room to go get dressed.

"Language," Jasper barked at me, covering Lexi's ears.

My final was at three, so I took a quick shower and threw on a green t-shirt, jeans, and some sneakers. I sped to school in just enough time to find a seat and do some last minute studying for the test. My Anatomy final was the last one I had to take this semester. I should have been happy. However, I was scared out of my mind, thinking about what Bella was going to say and/or do once she found out what had happened.

I finished the three-hour test in two. See. My note method was impeccable. I was able to pinpoint the kinds of questions that were asked on the test. At least one portion of my day was going as planned.

I got out of the test and took out my phone to call Bella when someone tugged on my arm.

"Hi," the blonde whispered and smiled up at me. "I'm Jessica."

I remembered her. "You're Mike Newton's girlfriend," I stated, waving at her.

"We aren't exclusive," she waved it off. "Do…"

"I'm sorry to hear that," I walked past her.

I needed to talk to Bella.

"Fucking hilarious," I heard Victoria clapping. She was sitting on a bench by a tree and smoking a cigarette. "She was hitting on you. You know that, right?"

I didn't care what happened at that point.

"Where's Bella?" I asked. "I need to talk to her."

"She's in the library," she pointed to the building across the street. "Looking good, by the way," she nodded her head.

"Thanks," I replied, walking to the library in hopes of getting Bella to go along with my plan.

I walked around looking for her. Eventually, I spotted her on the couch on her computer and eating an apple.

"Hey!" she smiled, waving me over. "My lovely adoring…adorable…boyfriend," she giggled, dramatically kissing me on the cheek.

"Ha-ha," I deadpanned. "Funny," I rolled my eyes, sitting down.

"What did they say when you told them?" she asked, taking another bite of her apple. "That must have been awkward," she finished in a singsong voice.

"It's…" I paused, struggling to find a way to spit it out, "complicated."

"Sorry," she apologized. "Your sister seems like a lot of fun. Hyper…but a lot of fun."

"She likes you, too," I told her as I led in with my offer. "What are you doing for the holidays?"

"I don't know," she paused. "Someplace…tropical…where the drinking age is under twenty-one."

"You don't spend it with your family?" I asked.

"No," she shook her head. "I haven't spent the holidays with a parent since I was fourteen," she looked around, not making eye contact. "Normally, Victoria and I would go somewhere, but she's on probation and can't leave the state. I'm on my own."

"Oh," I shrieked. This could be good. She didn't have any plans. Maybe it would be easier than I thought. "You could spend it with me and my parents if you'd like," I offered.

"No thanks," she shook her head. "It's your family time. You haven't seen or talked to them that much. You shouldn't have to worry about me. Plus, wouldn't be weird to show up with the girl your whole family thought was your girlfriend? It'd be too much," she finished.

"Um…" I paused, "They don't know that you aren't my girlfriend," I confessed, looking at her reaction.

"What do you…" she started, before her eyes bugged out in recognition. "Edward? Seriously?" she asked.

"Will you please pretend to be my girlfriend next week?" I blurted out and asked her. She already knew the truth. I might as well state my case.

"No," she shook her head. "Don't you think that's a little…?"

"Please," I begged. "I need you to come."

"No," she restated her answer. "It's your family. I don't belong…" she paused. "I'm not supposed to…"

"You don't understand," I interrupted her. "Since everything with me and Tanya happened, my family started treating me differently. It was like I was this fragile child and if they said the wrong thing I'd crumble. They pitied me and I hated it. That's why I don't talk to them much," I confided. "When they thought I was dating you, it was like things were back to normal. They looked at me like a brother or a son…not like that pathetic nerd…Ouch!" I touched my leg. Bella had kicked me.

"You're not pathetic," she told me.

"Sorry," I apologized.

"Don't apologize to me," she shook her head softly. "Apologize to yourself. You're the one that hurts when you do that."

"Please," I looked at her.

"I'm not good with family and shit like…"

"You're good at everything, even Calculus," I told her. "I need you. Please," I begged. "I need to show them that I've moved on…that I can move on."

"Is this about Tanya?" she arched an eyebrow.

"No," I shook my head. "She's dating someone else. He's coming next week. I've accepted that we'll never be together again," I told her honestly. "I just don't want everyone walking around me like I'm a ticking time bomb," I added. I felt myself growing desperate. I needed her to be safe. I want her to go with me. "I'll…I don't know," I threw my hands in the air, "I'll pay your tuition."

"Really?" she paused, raising her eyebrow. "When do we start?" she asked. She was being sarcastic. "Come on, Edward," she laughed at me. "You _have_ to know that I don't need your money."

I didn't even know why I suggested it. Why would she want to spend time with me when she didn't have to, anyway?

"Bella," I whispered, staring at the floor. "Please?" I asked one last time. "I can't do this without you."

She leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes for an extended period of time. Sensing that I was being dismissed, I stood up to leave.

"The next semester of my tuition will be donated to the charity of my choosing," she stated, looking at me. "I reserve the right to tell you to 'fuck off' and leave at any time," she added, obviously thinking of something else to add to her conditions.

"Okay," I smiled, hugging her. I'd been around Alice too long. "You won't have to worry about that. My family is very welcoming."

"And…" she paused sinisterly, "You have to wear contacts." Huh? I couldn't poke myself in the eye. It was self-preservation. "If I can't wear wigs, you can't wear glasses," she smirked, pleased with herself.

It was a fair trade…I guess. I would endure it. It was only a week. "Fine," I grinned, shaking her hand.

"Then we have a deal," she shook her head and got up. "I have to go to the bathroom. I'll be back, snuggle bunny," she smiled widely and blew me a kiss.

I saw her outfit. She had on a jacket that was short in the front and long in the back with a long-sleeved grey t-shirt. The kicker was the black tutu and black lace stockings with black boots. It was actually one of her tamer looks.

"Okay," I rolled my eyes and caught the air kiss.

I let out a sigh of relief and collapsed on the couch. I couldn't believe that Bella went for it. It was going to be so cool, now that she was coming. She was easy to get along with. Alice liked her. I was pretty sure Emmett would, too. It would be nice to have someone to talk to.

My phone buzzed loudly, causing the librarian to sneer at me.

"Hello, brother," my sister chirped on the other end.

"Hey, Ali," I looked at the clock above the TV in the room. "Are you guys back yet?"

"Actually," she started, "I was thinking that I'd like to get to know Bella a bit before she's introduced to everyone. It might overwhelm her," she rushed. "Plus, Lexi wants to play with Snooki some more. That dog is hilarious," she chuckled before I heard a bark and giggling in the background.

"So…" I wondered. What did she have planned?

"I got us reservation at _Shout_," she chirped excitedly. "It's supposed to be the crazy trendy restaurant in town. They didn't have any openings, but I worked the Cullen charm and they opened up a spot for us. So all you have to do if bring your sexy girlfriend there at eight so I can get to know her."

I was not sure what Bella had planned. I needed to ask her first.

"I'm…"

"Eight o'clock," Alice insisted. "I have to go shopping for a new outfit. This is so last minute," she huffed. "See you there!" she hung up.

"Shit!" I yelled out loud. This time, the librarian over exaggerated putting her finger over her mouth.

"I'm back, honey," Bella hunched her shoulders in mock excitement and hugged me. "You smell good," she complimented. "What is that?"

"Soap," I told her.

"Mmmm," she sniffed my shirt again.

"Weirdo," I laughed as she sat down.

"Lover, I was thinking," she giggling, "If we're going to go all the way with this thing, there's one step we need to make," she said, taking out her phone. She fiddled with it for a second before showing me the screen. She was on her Facebook app.

_Bella Swan is in a relationship with Edward Cullen_

"We're official," I said, checking the status.

"What do we have here?" she asked, checking something. "Tanya Denali has requested you as a friend," she showed me the screen again. "Ignore," she sang, pressing the button.

"Why?" She didn't even know Tanya.

"Because she's the bitch that broke your heart so badly that your family worried about you for seven months," she explained. "I'm not a fan of hers right now," she said, putting her phone in her bag. "I'm going home. I have my last final tomorrow. Calculus," she ended with a hint of contempt.

"Wait," I followed her to the door. "Have dinner with me and my sister tonight."

"What?"

"She made reservations for us for dinner. She's excited about it. Think of it like practice," I tried to convince her.

"Where?" she chuckled, rolling her eyes.

"_Shout_," I explained. "It's on…"

"Oh, I know where it is," she huffed, walking to her car. "I'll be counting the minutes," she breathed, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Bye, sweetie!" I waved to her.

"Hey," she turned around. "What kind of relationship do we have? Sweet and cuddly? New and scared to open up?" she asked. "Give me something to work with."

"I don't know," I considered it, "Maybe a little of both."

"Okay…so our love is like a Taylor Swift song," she nodded her head and walked away.

That was Bella.

It was almost six o'clock already so I had enough time to get back, get dressed, and get to the restaurant. Once I got back to my apartment, I noticed Snooki was sleeping under my couch. She must have been tired. Lexi and Alice could be a little overwhelming. I placed her on a pillow on my bed.

Next to the dog, I saw a note attached to a hanger with clothes.

_**Edward, **_

_**Since you're trying a new look and everything (which I love, btw), I figured you wouldn't mind if I picked out some clothes for you to wear tonight…that I bought for you…two Christmases ago. See you at eight.**_

_**-Alice**_

There was a dark green button-down shirt, black slacks, and black dress shoes, along with a grey wool coat. I figured I might as well, so I hopped in the shower and got ready. I noticed the time and made my way over to the restaurant.

It didn't take long to make it to _Shout_. I gave my car to the valet and walked inside. It seemed to be a pretty swanky place. The walls were a blood red color with high and low-hanging chandeliers all over the place. One wall was gold with a lot of mirrors on it and a waterfall flowing down. Every table was a booth. Some were arranged in the middle of the floor, others aligned the walls. Trust Alice to find the most exclusive place in the city and demand a table with two hours' notice.

"Yay!" my niece charged me and hugged my leg. "You're here."

"Okay, darling," Jasper laughed, pulling his daughter off of me.

"You look great," Alice smiled, hugging me. "My brother is so handsome."

"You sound like Mom," I told her. She rolled her eyes and pulled me down.

"Where's Bella?" Jasper asked, looking out the door.

"She's coming," I looked at my watch. She was a couple of minutes late.

"They won't seat us until the whole party is here," Alice pouted, looking at her watch. "The maître d' is a real d-bag."

"I want pizza," Lexi sulked.

"We talked about this," Jasper rubbed her head. "They probably won't have pizza here."

"But…"

"I'm sorry," Bella rushed in through the door and hugged me. "There was an accident a ways down the street," she embraced my family.

"It's okay," Alice waved her off. "You already made a good first impression."

"Aw," Bella poked Lexi's stomach playfully, "You and your mommy match. That's adorable."

"Thank you," Lexi smiled and sat next to her.

They did. Alice had on a black and gold dress with gold shoes and accessories. Alexia had on a black dress with gold shoes.

"Bella," Alice started, "You look amazing."

"Yeah," I noticed. She did…she _really_ did. Bella wore a dark green dress that was kind of draped on the bottom. She had on a dark brown leather jacket and brown shoes. "That dress looks nice on you." It hugged her shape nicely. I didn't realize that her breasts were that…

"Thanks," she twirled around. "I'm glad you like it."

"You look like a princess," Lexi gasped, touching the dress. Bella's smile dropped and she looked at me. We shared a moment of silence before laughing.

"We can eat now," Jasper headed over to the table in front to tell the server that the whole party was here.

The maître d' sneered a little as we followed him. Bella and I lagged behind.

"Victoria picked out my outfit," Bella whispered. "Your sister seems like the type who…" she paused her sentence as her foot accidently trips over mine, "Damn."

"I've got you," I grabbed her waist and crushed her back to my chest. Her feet flew a little in the air and her head knocked back into mine. "Shit!" I put her down to grabbed my eye.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, tracing her finger over my eye. "Is it going to bruise?" she asked.

"No," I said, grabbing her hand and walking to the table.

"I'm so clumsy," she shook her head, taking some ice from her glass. She wrapped it in her cloth napkin and held it to my eye. "Just in case, you don't want to bruise," she smiled awkwardly and looked around. The whole place was staring at us. "Okay, people, as you were. Nothing to see here!" she waved her hand. Those staring at us quickly went back to their meals.

"You two are so cute," Alice smiled giddily. "Tanya never would've done that," she sneered, taking a sip of her water.

"Alice!" Jasper and I scolded her.

It was bad protocol to bring up the ex-girlfriend to the new one…even if she wasn't really my girlfriend…but they didn't know that!

"What?" she asked, looking at the menu. "It's not a secret. I hate that conceited, Barbie-destroying bitch."

"Ooh," Lexi chuckled, "Mommy said a bad word." Alice rolled her eyes.

"It's okay," Bella smiled. "It's a good thing I'm not Tanya then. Isn't it?"

"Humph," Lexi pouted. "Pizza isn't on here," she sighed, looking over the menu.

"Excuse me," an older gentleman in a nice suit came out to our table. "Are you okay? I heard there was an incident," he asked, looking at us. He began to stare at Bella. It was not like he was checking her out. That would have been gross. It was more like he was trying to remember her.

"We're fine," Bella told him.

As soon as the owner looked at Bella, it was as if something clicked in his brain. His eyes got huge and he plastered the biggest smile on his face. No one else saw it because they were looking at their menu. I did. He had recognized her.

"Hello," he greeted us warmly. "My name is Patrick. I'm the owner of _Shout_," he started. "I'd like to personally apologize for the incident earlier. We're taking care of it."

"It wasn't your fault," Bella said. "I'm just clumsy. That's all."

"Well…" he smiled, "Whatever you need or want, don't hesitate to ask. Just asked your server and she'll get me."

"Pizza?" Lexi asked.

"Alexia," Jasper huffed. "We've told you. You're going to have to pick something…"

"Pizza is fine," Patrick interrupted, before looking at Bella. She rolled her eyes. "Pizza is good. We can make that happen," he smiled.

"Really?" my niece beamed.

"Mhmm," he nodded his head. "What toppings do you want?"

"Uh…" she started to think, "Pepperoni and olives."

"Chicago style or New York style?"

"Huh?" my niece asked confused. "What's that, Uncle Eddie?"

"New York is like normal pizza but really good," I explained. "Chicago style is bigger and the sauce is on top instead of the bottom."

"Oh. Thank you," she tapped her chin, thinking. "I don't want to mess up my dress. New York style, please," she ordered.

Alice placed her hand over her heart, no doubt swooning that Lexi thought of her outfit before making her decision.

"Okay," he looked at Bella then the rest of us. "We'll get started on that. How about some drinks for the grownups?" he smiled before going to the kitchen.

That was interesting. I'd never known a five-star restaurant to add random things to their menu out of the blue. I saw how Patrick looked at Bella. It was like he was scared he would disappoint her. He was kissing her ass…big time.

"The service here is excellent," Alice grinned, munching on a breadstick.

"They're certainly going above and beyond," I said, looking at Bella.

"It isn't a five-star restaurant for nothing," she turned her attention to her menu.

"So Bella," my sister started, "Where are you from?"

"New York," she answered, taking a sip of her water.

"Really?" she bounced in her seat. "That's where Jazz and I live. But you probably know that."

"I miss it," Bella told her. "You can't find that excitement anywhere else."

"I know. I love it there," Alice agreed. "Where did you grow up?"

"Uh…" she looked at the bottom of her glass. "The Upper East Side," she confessed…with a bit of contempt.

Really?

"That's nice," Ali gushed. "That's where we live. It's great for school. Also, it's close to all the good schools for Lexi."

"What grade is she in?" Bella asked.

"Kindergarten," my Lexi answered smiling. "I turn six in a week," she beamed, holding up six of her little fingers to prove her point.

"That's so cool," Bella reached to give her a high five.

"She's going to the first grade next year," Jasper stated. "So, we're looking at prep schools now. We're trying to get her into the best school for her."

"She'll get in," Alice petted her daughter's head. "We just want to find her a good fit. We had a meeting with Parkview Prep last week."

"Oh, God," Bella's breath caught, "I went there for the first and second grade."

"Really? How did you like it?" Jasper asked.

"It's fine," she smiled, "If you like the thought of your child running in a hamster wheel. They work the kids _entirely_ too hard," she finished after a short pause.

"So, it's bad?"

"It's terrible," Bella deadpanned. "Personally, I recommend Lakeside prep. It's not as prestigious…but prestigious all the same," she nodded. "Plus, there's a higher chance that she _won't_ become an asshole," she looked into the distance.

"Well…" I tried to intervene. I sensed a rant.

"I mean everyone who goes to schools like that is wealthy. I mean they don't really have any problems in the world. They could do so much good if they wanted," she shook her head. "What do they care about? The newest Gucci collection they saw at fashion week and what your parents' net worth is. I mean…I lived in the _Dwyer_ _Building_. You don't see me being rude to everyone," she rolled her eyes.

"You lived in the Dwyer Building?" Alice asked. "It's impossible to get in there," she complained. "We've been trying for the past year. They waitlisted us."

"I'll give you some privy information," Bella leaned close. "It's by design. They keep at _least_ two units open at all times. They say there isn't any room to make it more prestigious. If you offer the right price, it'll magically appear," she stage-whispered. "You didn't hear it from me."

"That building is beautiful. All the celebrities have a spot there. How did you swing it?" Alice asked in awe.

"A mutual friend," Bella deadpanned as the owner came out with appetizers and drinks.

"Here you are," Patrick served us. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," we all answered. Bella got up to go to the bathroom. Her butt looked really good in that dress. I noticed all the men staring at it when she passed.

"Ogle much?" Alice laughed, waving her hand in front of my face. "She's amazing."

"A+, Edward," Jasper clapped.

"She's funny," Lexi giggled. "I like her," she nodded her head. "Plus, her dog is nice."

"We're talking a serious upgrade," Alice smiled, typing on her phone. "Mom is going to eat her up."

"Hey," Bella returned. "What's wrong?" she asked, looking around the table. My sister and niece were both grinning at her like idiots.

"Nothing," Alice smirked.

I was surprised at how they took to her. When Tanya and I were together, it was like they talked as merely a formality. Throughout dinner, Alice and Bella talked non-stop. Alice took a real liking to Bella. I think Bella took a liking to her also. By the time dessert came around, it was like they were best friends.

"You really like apples," I teased, opening the door for her. She had ordered the homemade apple pie for dessert. We decided to get it to go because Lexi started to fall asleep at the table.

"I sure do," she sniffed the pie through the box.

"Bye, Bella," Alice hugged her as the valet pulled their Mercedes McLaren to the front.

"See you later," she smiled. "Nice car," she complimented.

"See you next week," Alice walked to the car. "I can't wait for the luncheon, or the club, or mom and dad's party, or the karaoke competition…"

"Karaoke?" Bella asked, looking at me.

Shit. Every year, there was a friendly karaoke competition at the country club my parents went to. It was between the women. So, I'd never thought of it. Bella didn't look like the karaoke type.

"Yeah," Alice grinned. "There's this competition every year. It's so much fun. You're going to be an awesome addition."

"Oh," Bella's smile lost a bit of its luster.

"Bella!" Lexi hugged Bella's leg. "Will you come to my birthday party?" she asked. "It's on the twenty-sixth…the day after Christmas," she smiled.

"Sure."

"Will you bring Snooki?" she gave Bella the same pout Alice gave people. "Please?"

"Of course," Bella hugged her. "I wouldn't miss it. What do you want?"

"Anything is okay," she shrugged her shoulders. "No two-for-ones, though. I want one present for Christmas and one for my birthday," she ordered. If you wanted to get on my niece's bad side, get her one present for Christmas and her birthday. Emmett made the mistake of doing that. It wasn't pretty.

"Okay," Bella laughed. "Thanks for the warning," she said as Jasper helped Lexi into the car. "It's going to be hell going Christmas shopping," she whispered.

"Don't you dare," Alice pointed her finger at Bella. "You're a guest. Mom would die if you brought everyone gifts," she shook her finger.

"But…"

"No buts," Alice ordered, finishing the conversation. "See you next week," she waved. "Edward, Dad made all the arrangements for the plane and stuff."

"Bye, Bella," Jasper smiled before they drove off.

"They're awesome," Bella turned to me. "I don't see how you went that long without talking to them," she arched an eyebrow.

"I missed them," I told her. "It's nice that I got to see them."

"I get it," she nodded her head. "They're solid…as far as families go."

"Thanks for coming," I hugged her as my car was pulled in front.

"You're welcome," she sniffed her dessert. "I'll see you later," she started walking down the street.

"You didn't get valet did you?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"No," she chortled. "I can walk."

"In the car," I ordered, opening the door. "You'll argue. I'll argue. You'll get in the car."

"Smartass," she got in. "This was fun."

"I really appreciate everything," I told her. "It means a lot."

"Don't mention it," she smiled. "I'm not doing karaoke," she got out of the car next to her own.

I laughed at the statement. I thought of Rose and Alice's persistence and Bella's zero tolerance for influence. I wondered who would win.

"Oh, Bella!" I got her attention.

"Yeah?"

"Skywalker!" I laughed. She flipped me off and got in her car.

I drove back to home and immediately pulled up my computer. I wanted to check my grades to see if any of them had been posted. So far, the two grades I'd gotten were both "A's." I was pleased.

I was bored, so I pulled up Facebook to see what was happening.

_Bella Swan is in a relationship with Edward Cullen._

_Victoria Greene likes this._

I smiled when I saw it. I didn't know why, but it made me happy to see it. I updated my status as well.

_Edward Cullen is in a relationship with Bella Swan._

I smiled as Alice liked it. She had changed her status and her profile picture.

_I'm chilling with my brother and his kick-ass new girlfriend._

Her profile picture was a photo she had taken with Bella. They both had a drink in their hand. Alice was kissing Bella's cheek and Bella was making a funny face.

I decided to get in on the fun and update my status.

_**Edward Cullen: Thanks, sweetie!**_

I got up and grabbed an apple. Bella was right. They _were_ good. I sat back down to send a reply.

_**Bella Swan: You're welcome *wink***_

I shook my head and went to sleep.

I was officially done for the semester, so I didn't have to go to school the next day. Blissfully, I slept in. When I got up, I checked my grades to find that I had gotten all "A's." It was around two o'clock. I wanted to see how Bella did on her Calculus final so I texted her.

_**Edward: How did your final go?**_

_**Bella: It was okay. I'm just glad it's over. **_

_**Edward: I'm sure you did well. **_

She'd made an astounding improvement from when I'd first started tutoring her. I was sure that she had done well on her test. She had studied hard. I was proud of her.

_**Edward: I'm proud. **_

_**Bella: *single tear* What time are we leaving?**_

_**Edward: Tomorrow at five**_

_**Bella: Okay. I'll be there at four. Don't forget to pack your contacts.**_

I didn't see Bella today so I spent the day cleaning up the apartment, packing, and watching a marathon of _House_. Before I knew it, I heard Bella knocking on my door.

"Lover!" she called, banging on the door. "Open up!"

I carried my bags to the door and greeted her.

"Hello, love," I smiled.

"I missed you, sweetie," she hugged me. "Are you ready to go?" she asked, dropping the sweetheart act.

"I guess so," I told her, grabbing my things and locking my apartment.

She had two nice-sized Louis Vuitton luggage carriers and one smaller one. Snooki jumped at my feet and I picked her up. Bella took the opportunity to put a leash on her.

"Alright, lover," she looked me in the eye and put on a pair of sunglasses, "Let's get this show on the road." She put her arm around my waist and we walked to the elevator.

We were going to do this, and I had a feeling this trip was going to be epic.


	8. Chapter 8

**EMOTIONAL WARFARE**

**Chapter 8**

**BELLA**

"Thank you for doing this, Bella. You don't know how much this means to me," he held my hand as he started the drive to the airport. He looked over at me and smiled that crooked yet perfect smile. I smiled back. I felt his hand shaking.

"It's okay, Skywalker," I giggled, "That's what friends are for," I sang like Dionne Warwick, causing him to laugh.

"I'm just nervous is all," he excused.

"Hey," I squeezed his hand harder, stopping it from trembling, "Shouldn't I be the one that's nervous? After all, I'm the imposter here," I pointed out.

"I just don't want everyone walking on eggshells around me," he whispered.

"It'll be fine," I told him. I was not sure if I was telling this to him or myself. "They're your family. They love you. I can tell." It was obvious. Then, I thought about something. "Are you nervous about Tanya?" I asked.

Bitch.

"No. Not really. I'm just nervous that they'll see us together and…hate her and pity me. Then, the entire week will be down the drain."

"That's what I'm here for," I ruffled his hair with my other hand. "I'll be your buffer. I'll be the perfect charming girlfriend and make you look good. Okay?" I held out my pinky for a pinky promise.

"Deal," he hooked his pinky in mine and I felt that same weird snap. He looked at our hands and I noticed him jump a little bit before grabbing the steering wheel. He stared at his hand as he drove for a few seconds. I wondered what that was all about.

"Are you alright?"

"Uh…" he paused, glancing into my eyes, "Yeah."

"Watch the road," I smiled, pointing to the street.

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes. "Anyway, we're here."

Seriously?

"A private jet?" I asked, giggling a little.

"Yeah. My mom booked it. She wants us there as soon as possible. Commercial planes take too long, in her opinion."

"Well…" I paused, taking Snooki out of her carrier, "You Cullen's know how to travel in style."

"I think it's ostentatious," he shook his head. "A regular plane would've only taken an extra two hours."

"Sweetie," I pouted, kissing his cheek, "Don't be a sourpuss. Your mommy loves you," I said in a baby voice, causing him to shiver in disgust.

"No," he shook his head.

"Just checking," I chuckled as Edward took my bags and loaded them on the plane.

"Is there anything you want to know?" he asked, handing me a can of Coke as he grabbed a can of Sprite.

"Yeah," I confirmed, opening a bag of pretzels from the fridge. "Little things about your family I guess. Do you have any pictures? If this is going to be plausible, they'll have to think I've heard of them before."

"You're right." He pulled out his laptop as the plane took off. "These are my parents…Carlisle and Esme," he started.

"Wow," I said, nodding my head. His dad had royal blue eyes and blonde hair. He was seriously hot. He didn't look old enough to have a kid Edward's age. Edward looked mostly like his mother, with his copper-colored hair and green eyes. His bone structure came from his father, though. "They're a cute couple. They look so young. You look like your mom," I smiled, running my fingers through his hair. It was so soft.

"Really?" he asked. "I always thought she was more…Ouch!"

I had a feeling he was going to talk shit about himself, so I punched him.

"Next photo," I suggested.

"Here's my older brother, Emmett, his girlfriend, Rosalie, and their daughter, Megan," he smiled as their pictures pulled up. "They've been together six years. We're all waiting for Emmett to pop the question."

"No way!" I shouted in his ear, jarring a drowsy Snooki. She needed to take a nap. "Monkey Man and The Skinny Bitch are your brother and almost-sister-in-law?"

"Yeah," he blushed. "You've heard of them, I guess."

"Who hasn't? The Skinny Bitch is an awesome workout. Plus, their snacks are healthy and delicious," I smiled, pulling out a Skinny Bar out of my purse as proof. It didn't hurt that Monkey Man was hot. "Is she really that bitchy? Or is it just an act?"

"I'll let you be the judge," he smirked.

"Your niece is adorable," I complimented, looking at the little blonde girl who couldn't be more than four years old sitting on her father's shoulders.

"She's little Miss Attitude," he warned me. "When she and Alexia get together, trouble will most likely ensue," he grinned, moving to the next picture. "You've met my younger sister, Alice, and her husband, Jasper, and their daughter, Lexi," he said, showing me their picture.

"She's your younger sister?" I asked. "How old was she when she had Lexi?" I asked as I petted a sleeping Snooki in my lap. Maybe Lexi looked old for her age.

"She was fifteen. It was quite the scandal," he whispered. "She doesn't like to talk about it."

"Fuck the gossipers," I rolled my eyes. "If they had interesting lives of their own, they wouldn't feel the need to butt into other's lives."

"I guess you could say that," he moved on. "That's it for my family," he announced. "On to…the Denali's," he finished with a long sigh.

"You don't like them?" I questioned. By the way he said their name, I'd guess not.

"I wasn't too fond of Tanya's family," he shivered, showing me their pictures. "You have Alec, Heidi, Irina, Tanya, Kate…and Diva," he rolled his eyes.

"Diva?" I asked in disbelief. "Who names their pet Diva?"

The photo of the Denali family looked like an old Christmas card photograph, taken a couple of years ago. Tanya and Irina both had on red cardigans with white shirts underneath. They didn't fool me. I could spot a slut when I saw one.

The Siamese cat in Tanya's lap had an evil sneer on its face that somehow overpowered the diamond collar it had around its neck. It reminded me of that evil cat in _Cats & Dogs_.

"It's Tanya's cat," he said, packing up his computer. "She's had it forever."

"I hope her and Snooki get along," I said as Snooki woke up and jumped on Edward's lap before going back to sleep. "She likes you more than me," I joked, taking out a deck of cards.

"Go fish?" he asked as I started shuffling cards.

"Sure," I smiled, dealing cards.

"Bella…"

"Please don't thank me again," I begged. "You aren't forcing me to be here. I want to help you," I smiled, patting his hand. "Do you have any threes?"

"Go fish."

"DAMN IT!" I shouted, fishing in the deck.

We spent the next two hours playing Go Fish, Old Maid, and War. It was nice to find out that we were evenly matched. However, Edward quit playing Blackjack when I kept beating him. He claimed I was counting cards. I called it skill.

"We're here," he announced as I felt the plane touch the ground.

"Okay," I said, trying not to sound nervous. We couldn't both be on edge.

I found myself wondering what the rest of Edward's family would be like. I was nervous, anxious, and excited at the same time.

"Have a lovely vacation, Mr. Cullen," the pilot said, letting down the staircase.

"Thank you," Edward and I said in unison as we grabbed our bags and Edward led us to a limo.

"Limo," I smiled. "Nice."

Edward must have come from some _**serious**_ money to afford a private jet and limo service. Whatever. Join the club. I didn't care.

"We should be home in about forty-five minutes," he said, helping me put Snooki on a leash.

"Would you mind if we stopped by a…"

"Cullen?" I heard a masculine voice ask. It was obvious that Edward knew him by the way he responded to hearing his voice. They were definitely not friends. "Edward Cullen?" the voice spoke again.

"James," Edward answered in a deadpan voice.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" he laughed. "I'm surprised you'd show your face again after Tanya crushed you."

Edward's body shrank in stature at that comment.

"W-w…" Shit. He was starting to stuttered.

"No need to be a dick," I smiled, stepping by Edward's side. "It's the holidays…the season of giving and all. Try being an asshole on New Year's. It'll be socially acceptable then."

"Who's this?" he looked at Edward, a smile growing on his face.

"This is Bella," he introduced as I shook the asshole's hand. "She's my girlfriend."

"Really?" he asked. "There's no way you could get a girl this hot," he looked me over. Edward stepped in front of him, blocking his view of me. "How much are you paying her?"

"Excuse me?" I asked, trying to move around Edward.

"James," Edward growled lowly. "Bella and I have somewhere to be. We should get going. We'll see you at the club," he took my hand and started to leave.

"Come on, sexy," he said to me. "What do you see in him?"

"I don't know," I started. "Maybe I should show you a picture of his dick. That might clear things up," I grinned, following a laughing Edward into the car.

"I can't believe you said that," Edward blushed, looking out the window.

"You're welcome," I put my head on his shoulder. "That guy is an asshole."

"That's James Huntington III," he said. "We went to high school together."

"Ugh," I shivered. "He's a _**third**_? Ick. How many namesakes does a person need?"

"I'm sorry I didn't defend you," he apologized.

"Yes, you did," I looked up at him. "Most importantly, you took up for yourself…even if it was just a little," I smiled. "We need to continue your FYB lessons."

"I just wish I was more…I don't know, instead of a…ouch!"

"Stop it," I commanded. "You're perfect," I hugged him.

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes.

"He teased you didn't he?" I asked. He nodded in response.

"Fuck him," I shrugged my shoulders. "Say it," I commanded.

"Fuck him," he whispered.

"Louder."

"Fuck him," his volume raised to where he was talking in a regular voice.

"Louder."

"Fuck him!" he shouted, grinning.

"Go, Edward," I patted him on the back and started clapping. "Feel good?" I asked. He nodded, smiling. "Now, say the meanest…nastiest…insult you can think of," I challenged him.

"Uh…" he started, "Uh…" he started again, "Eat a fart!" he shouted.

"Really?" I asked dumbfounded. "That's the best you've got?"

"Unfortunately," he laughed.

"You're one of a kind," I said as he hugged me closer to him.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Can we stop at a toy store?" I asked. "I need to buy Lexi and Megan gifts."

"We told you…no gifts," he said, rubbing my hair. "I got my gifts shipped to the house already."

"Edward…they're kids," I pointed out, "I can't _not_ buy them a Christmas gift. They'll hate me."

"Since when do you care what people think?" he asked, a crooked smirk playing on his lips.

"Take me to a toy store," I rolled my eyes as my phone rang.

"Yeah?" I answered, not checking who it was.

"Bella!" dad said into the phone. "I'm sorry I couldn't take your call. Is everything okay?"

Dad? I was surprised to hear his voice. I was certain I wouldn't hear from him.

"Mhmm," I mumbled. "Everything is fine. I just wanted to…call you I guess," I said awkwardly, thinking about how I felt when Alice visited.

"Oh," he replied weirdly. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," I rolled my eyes. "I just haven't heard from you."

"Well…I'm good I guess," he said. "What are you doing for the holidays?"

"I'm in Connecticut."

"With who? Victoria? I thought she couldn't leave the state."

"Not Victoria," I corrected, "My friend, Edward."

"Who's that?"

"A friend."

"You're going on a Christmas vacation…with a friend…who is a boy?"

"Don't start acting parental, Dad."

"Fine, fine," he huffed. "It's just…I was going to be in New York in a couple of days. I wanted to see if you were free. Since you aren't, I guess I can do something else."

"Oh…" I led off. I didn't know what to say. "Have fun."

"You, too," he said. "Call your mother. She's acting bat shit crazy. She even called me."

"Fuck her," I replied. "Talk to you later, Dad"

"That was your father?" Edward asked. "You're upset."

"Yeah, it was my dad," I answered, putting my phone in my purse.

We pulled in front of a toy shop called Wonder World. It reminded me a little of FAO Schwartz. We got out of the car and started to explore. It was a huge place.

"I haven't been to a toy store in years," I said, looking around. "What would your nieces like?"

"Megan likes art stuff," he said. "Lexi likes anything that has to do with Barbie," he finished.

We separate and each looked for gifts. While looking in the aisles, I found this beautiful art easel that came with a small canvas, paints, markers, and other art stuff. I think the easel was made out of oak. There was a small plaque on the front that you could have engraved. This would be nice for Megan. I put it in the cart.

I needed to buy two gifts for Lexi…one for Christmas and one for her birthday. I made an effort to find a more elaborate gift for her birthday. Most little girls liked their birthdays. I didn't, but still. When I was looking through the doll section, I saw this catalogue to make your own doll. They made them in the store and you could have them shipped. I placed an order for a custom life-size doll that looked like Lexi at her age. I hoped she approved. It was not Barbie, but I thought she would like it because it looked like her. I added a big Barbie dream house to my cart and headed to checkout.

When I checked out, I was told that I would have to wait an additional thirty minutes to get the gifts wrapped and Megan's easel engraved, so I walked around the store aimlessly.

Then, I saw it. It was the perfect gift for Edward.

I knew I was not supposed to buy him a gift, but when I saw it, I couldn't just leave it in the store. I added that to my pile and had that engraved, too. He was going to love it.

"Are you finished?" Edward popped up behind me.

"Yeah. I'm almost…"

"Hello, Sir," the red-haired cashier interrupted me to introduce herself to Edward. "My name if Fiona. Have you found everything…satisfactory?" she asked. "Do you like what you see?" she asked, looking him up and down.

Are you fucking kidding me? She saw him talking to me.

"It's okay," he said, looking around. "It's a nice store," he smiled. "Are you ready, Bella? My mom just texted me."

"I'm fine, honey," I smiled, placing a chaste kiss on his lips. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting," I apologized.

Take that, bitch.

"It's okay," he whispered, ghosting his fingers over his lips while looking into my eyes. Again with the green.

"That'll be $2,542.22," Fiona announced. I handed her my debit card. "Excuse me," she rolled her eyes. "Are you serious?"

This was why I didn't like using my card. It was higher on the food chain than an American Express black card, if you could believe it. Most people didn't even know it existed. Only twenty people in the world had one. Because of this, most people thought it was fake. The same thing happened when I got my car out of the towing lot that time Edward took me to pick it up. I had to call the company. It was a big mess.

"Bella…" Edward started.

"Fine," I huffed, taking a wad of one hundred dollar bills out of my purse. I had a feeling this would happen, so I withdrew some money from the bank. I gave the cashier twenty-six bills and waited for my change before I took my purchases to the car. Bitch didn't deserve a $57.78 tip.

"Wow…" Edward drew out.

"It's a long story," I sighed. "I don't want to get into it."

"Okay," he dropped the subject.

A big gust of wind blew through the air, causing me to stop in my tracks. I didn't bring a thick enough jacket.

"You're cold," Edward stated the obvious, "Here, take this."

"No," I refused, trying to walk faster to the car. "You'll be cold."

"But you won't," he said, wrapping his coat around my shoulders.

It smelled nice. How did he smell like that?

"You're such a hero," I giggled, stepping into the limo.

As we got closer and closer to the house, I found myself getting more and more anxious. I wanted Edward's family to like me. I couldn't figure out why their opinion of me mattered so much. It was unsettling.

The car stopping drew me out of my inner thoughts.

"O…kay," I said, looking at Edward's house.

It was fucking huge.

Being who I was, I had seen many large houses in my day. This house was easily in the top three. It had a European manor feel. If I had to guess, I would say it dated back to around the 1700s. It was probably older than the U.S. itself. I always knew Edward was rich by his apartment and his car. But…I didn't know he was _wealthy_.

Did you know what the difference was between rich people and wealthy people? Wealthy people signed rich people's paychecks. That was a nugget of wisdom my father had told me. From one wealthy person to another…Edward was wealthy.

I didn't feel betrayed by this knowledge. I'd been hiding my wealth as well. Most people would shit themselves if they found out who my parents were…or my stepfather for that matter.

"Yeah…its home," he smiled, opening the car door. "Come on," he got out, holding the door for me.

"Edward?" I heard a voice call out to him. The sound of her voice immediately made me feel calm. "It's you!" she chirped, throwing her arms around her son. "Oh, my goodness," she ran her fingers through her hair. "You're early."

"I know," he said. "I wanted to catch up before everyone else got here," he smiled, kissing her cheek.

"You must be Bella," the copper-hair woman walked over to me. "Oh, my heavens, you're a knockout," she stepped back to look at me.

"Thank you, Mrs. Cullen," I said, surprised to find myself blushing.

"It's Esme," she corrected. Come inside," she ushered us into her house.

The home was decorated beautifully, with a mixture of cream, white, and blue in the front room where she sat us down.

"I'm so happy to have you home," Esme kissed her son and sat in his lap. "How was school?"

"Good," he smiled. "So far, I got 'A's' in all of my classes."

"Fabulous," she hugged her son. "I knew you'd do great," she smiled at him. "How about you, Bella?" she asked.

"I did well," I announced. "I got 'A's' in all of my classes so far, too. I haven't gotten my Calc II grade back yet. I'm a little nervous for that one."

"I'm sure you did okay," Edward soothed me. "You knew that material inside and out. We studied hard."

"Are you in med school, too?" she asked.

"No," I shook my head. "Edward is…was my Calc II tutor. I was failing miserably before he helped me."

"Really, Edward?" she asked, her eyes lighting up. "You helped her? On top of your course load?" she smiled.

"Yeah," he blushed, smiling shyly. "She needed my help. I felt compelled to help her."

"Edward," I smiled. "Well…I felt compelled to take your help."

"Do I hear Edward?" I heard a blonde man, who I assumed was Carlisle, walk up to us.

"Dad!" Edward smiled as he jumped up to hug his father. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too, Son," he smiled. "We all did."

I watched how Esme and Carlisle looked at Edward and I couldn't help but smile. The love coming off of them was astounding. I wished I had that.

"This is Bella," Edward introduced me.

"Hello, Bella," he smiled. "Call me Carlisle."

"Nice to meet you," I shook his hand. "I've heard so much about you," I said, looking at Edward's parents.

"No wonder Edward didn't tell us about you," he started. "He wanted to keep you all for himself."

"Isn't she gorgeous?" Esme smiled.

"I wish I'd known you two were coming early," Esme stood up. "Carlisle, Edward, take the bags to their room," she ordered, and they went and did what they were told.

I was in awe of how beautiful this woman was. It was natural, too. I could tell. No Botox or anything.

"I'm so glad I finally get to meet you," Esme gushed. "Alice went on and on about how amazing you are. I feel like I know you already."

"I feel the same," I said. I honestly felt that way. This woman gave off good vibes like no one's business. I could tell she was an amazing person…on top of being an amazing mother. "I'm so nervous," I confided.

"Don't be, dear," she waved me off, walking down the hallway. "I was just about to go down to the stable and feed the horses."

"You have stables?" I asked.

"Yeah," she smiled. "Do you want to come?"

"Sure," I accepted, following her out. It was a good thing I was wearing sneakers today.

"My granddaddy owned a farm in Tennessee. I'd go down there every summer and help him out. It made me feel like a kid again," she told me as we arrived at the stables. There were five horses. Three were boys and two were girls. From what it looked like, they seemed to be well bred.

"Are these Arabian horses?" I asked, noticing the thick, silky black hair.

"Yeah," she grinned, petting one of the younger ones. "Do you ride?" she asked.

"A little," I lied. I used to ride. A lot. I was Junior Equestrian Champion from 2001-2004. I could have gone to the Olympics, but I decided against it. My heart wasn't in it.

"Come on," she grabbed a saddle and put it on the horse. "Let's take these two out," she said and I followed suit. "You can take Edward's horse."

"Edward rides horses?" I asked, following her on the trail. He didn't strike me as a horse rider.

"Not really," she laughed. "He never got the hang of it. He gave up when he was ten. The last one he had bucked too high one day. It scared the crap out of him."

"I imagine," I laughed with her.

"So, Bella," Esme started, "Tell me a little about yourself."

"Well…"I pause, not sure what to say, "I'm twenty years old. I'm a senior. I have no clue what I want to do with my life and I'm currently dating your son," I rushed.

"Calm down. It wasn't a trick question," she patted my hand. "You're twenty and a college senior? That's amazing," she complimented.

"I took a lot of A.P. classes and I studied abroad, so some of that counted as credit."

"What's your major?"

"I, uh…don't have one," I said slowly. Her eyebrows rose up, but she didn't say anything.

I kept pace with her on the horse, waiting for her to say something on discipline or finding something to do like my mother would have. Instead, she started to laugh.

"How did you pull that off?" she asked. "I thought that was a myth."

"I took so many AP classes, most of them counted as my General Education courses. So, I took a lot of major and minor courses. I'm probably a quadruple major by now," I shook my head.

"Wow," she whispered.

"Edward was shocked, too," I laughed, thinking about how his face looked when I told him I was a senior with no major. "He thought it was impossible," I said, causing her to laugh.

"You're a smart one," she nodded her head. "I can tell. What do you…?"

Our conversation was interrupted by the sound of horses coming in our direction

"Who's that?" I asked, pointing to the figures.

"Esme, honey," an older strawberry blonde woman stopped her horse right in front of Esme. "Emmett, Alice, and company have arrived," she said.

I could tell the woman used to be beautiful in her earlier days. Now, it looked like a plastic surgeon went to town on her face and had a field day. It didn't look like the surgeon was particularly good, either.

"As well as us, obviously," a younger version of the previous woman added. She was most likely her daughter.

"Thank you, Heidi," Esme smiled. "Come on, Bella. Let's get inside."

"Bella?" the two women questioned in unison.

"Yes," I confirmed, riding into their view. "Nice to meet you," I reached my hand to shake theirs.

"I'm sure," the mother smiled half-heartedly, looking me up and down before taking my hand. "I'm Heidi."

"And I'm _Tanya_," the daughter introduced herself, exaggerating her name. "Aren't you…interesting," she said, riding her horse around me, as if she was inspecting me from head to toe.

Oh, no she didn't…

"Well…" I started, smiling, "Isn't this lovely?" I asked, hunching my shoulders in mock excitement.

"We should be getting back," Esme smiled, making her way back to the stables.

"We should," I agreed, following her.

As I put the horse back in the stable and made myself presentable, I could feel Tanya's eyes on me. She was sizing me up. I had no idea why. If she didn't quit staring, I'd rip her eyes out of her fucking head.

"Are you ready?" Heidi asked, her eyes trained on me.

"Yes," I answered, staring into her eyes, not flinching.

"Then, let's go," Tanya smiled, walking towards the house. "It's nice to meet you, Becca."

"Same here, Tawny," I grinned back at her, walking into the house.

This bitch was going to be a problem.

**It's come to my attention that I forgot to add the link to the outfits. So…check my profile!**


	9. Chapter 9

**EMOTIONAL WARFARE**

**I don't own Twilight**

**Chapter 9**

**EDWARD**

I couldn't contain my excitement when we pulled into my parents' driveway. It seemed like it had been so long since I'd been here…since I'd really talked to anyone. I saw Bella look at my house in awe for a fraction of a second before turning back to her semi-stoic behavior. A fraction of me wondered how she was going to deal with my family. Then, I figured she'd be okay and my family would like her. I mean, she was Bella. Who didn't like her?

The initial meeting with my parents went well, leading my mother to get my father and myself out of the rooms. It was most likely so she could nonchalantly grill Bella. That woman was about as subtle as a gunshot wound. But that was why I loved her.

"So…" dad led off, putting some of my luggage in the closet, "Bella seems nice," he said sitting down.

"Yeah," I grinned, "She is."

"She's very beautiful," he smiled, patting a spot on the bed next to him.

"Uh huh," I nodded my head awkwardly.

Where was this going?

"I'm just going to come right out and ask you," dad huffed. "Are you two being safe?"

Oh, God. No!

"Dad!" I jumped up, covering my ears. "Are we really having this conversation? I'm twenty-three years old."

"The same rules and consequences still apply," he replied. "Look, you're both attractive…young…and hormonal people. I just don't want you to…"

"Yes!" I shouted, running my fingers through my hair. "We're being safe," I answered, hiding the disgust in my voice.

"I just wanted to make sure," he told. "When you became an adult, you didn't stop being my son," he clapped me on the back.

"I get that," I nodded awkwardly. "It's just…I'm twenty-three. It's not like I'm a thirteen-year-old virgin. I've had sex before, Dad," I laughed awkwardly.

When I'd lost my virginity, it hadn't exactly been ideal. I was fifteen and Tanya and I were studying for school. She came back from the bathroom one day and jumped on top of me. The next thing I knew, I wasn't a virgin anymore. Tanya was very…adventurous. Sometimes, it was to a fault. One time, she tied me up and put a bag over my head. I hyperventilated, and I almost had an asthma attack. I had to say, it always felt weird when we had sex. I expected it to feel more…natural, organic maybe…and not so forced. I sounded like a girl.

"I know, I know," he put my bags down. "I just wanted to be sure," he set one of my bags down and left.

"Where's Bella staying?" I asked, following him out the door.

"She's rooming with you," dad announced.

"Huh?"

In previous years, when the Cullen's and Denali's got together, all the couples had to sleep in different rooms. In fact, the Denali family stayed in a separate wing of the house when they stayed over. They didn't stay over a lot because they only lived fifteen minutes away from us.

"Come on, Edward," dad laughed, "You're adults. I think you two can sleep in the same room. Doesn't Bella sleep over at your apartment occasionally?"

"Yeah," I answered. She had stayed over that one time. It was fun. Then again, being with Bella was always fun.

"Then, we figured you two could share a room," he said. "Your mother and I aren't as rigid as you'd like to think," he added. "You should wash up. Dinner should be ready in a few."

"Okay," I looked through my bags for something to wear.

I settled for a white button-down shirt with black and grey stripes with some black slacks. I hopped in the shower and prayed that this whole thing worked. So far, it had been working fine. Everyone seemed to like Bella. It was awesome that my parents hadn't been treating me like a wounded animal on the verge of death. I started to dry off when I heard _her_ voice.

"Hey, Uncle Carlisle," I heard Tanya say. "It's been a long time."

Shit. She was here. I knew this would happen. I knew I had to face her. It didn't make it any easier. It would be the first time I'd seen her since she'd dumped me…during my graduation party…alone…with an engagement ring in my pocket.

Damn. That was still harsh.

I finished getting ready. Instead of taking the main staircase, I took an alternate route that led me into the kitchen. I looked around and noticed that dinner was most of the way ready. This meant that everyone was almost here. Mom prided herself on being able to time dinner just right. I had to admit, she had a gift. I looked at the island in the kitchen and smiled. There was a fruit bowl filled with apples, oranges, and mangos. Bella would love that.

"Uncle Eddie?" I heard my niece, Megan, ask in a confused voice.

She was Emmett's daughter. I didn't get to see her as much because they lived in California now. It was always a joy to see her. She was adorable.

"Megan?" I asked, turning around. "Hey, tiny," I shouted, lifting her up and tickling her.

"S-S-top, Uncle E-Eddie!" she kicked her feet around. "It tickles!"

"I know," I laughed, tickling her faster for a little longer. "How are you?" I put her down.

"I'm good," she giggled, rubbing her tummy. "I thought it was you," she started, "But then I didn't because your hair is different."

"You don't like it?" I pouted, poking her.

"I love it," she ruffled my hair with her fingers. "It's soft now."

"Why thank you…oof," I paused as Lexi knocked the wind out of me. She liked to run into a hug. "Hey, honey," I kissed her hair.

"Uncle Eddie," she kissed my cheek. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," I kissed her back. "Both of you," I kissed Megan's cheek, too.

"Where's your girlfriend?" Megan asked, looking around. "Lexi said she looks like a princess."

"She does," Lexi nodded her head profusely. "Did she bring Snooki?" she asked, her eyes lighting up.

"She sure did," I grabbed them by the hands and took them to the living room where I last saw Snooki. She was still asleep in her carrier. "Shhh," I whispered. "You can pet her, but she's sleeping," I gently handed the dog to them.

"She's pretty," Megan whispered as Lexi nodded her head in agreement.

"We'll be quiet…"

"EDWARD!" Emmett boomed, engulfing me in a bone-crushing hug and waking Snooki up. Actually, he scared the shit out of her and she ran out of the room.

"Hey!" Megan narrowed her eyes at her dad.

"Come back, Snooki!" Lexi shouted, running after the dog.

"How are you, bro?" Emmett grinned.

"I'm good," I smiled, sitting down. "Life is good."

"How are you holding up?" he asked, sitting down. "That bitch brought her new boyfriend," he announced, rolling his eyes.

"Again…I'm fine, Emmett," I waved him off. "She can do what she wants. I brought Bella."

"But this is your house," he pointed out.

"Emmett," I calmed him down. "It's okay. You're more upset than I am."

"Where's Bella?" Alice came in, sitting down next to us.

"She's with mom."

"Oh," Em laughed. "She's doing some investigating?"

"Most likely."

"God help her," Alice laughed.

"I'm hungry," Emmett got up to go to the kitchen.

"Here we go," Alice followed.

"You know how mom gets," I warned my brother, trying to stop him.

Mom absolutely hated it when people snacked before dinner. She claimed it ruined your appetite. When we were kids, if she caught us, we couldn't have desert.

"Mom will shit bricks when she catches you," Alice shook her head.

"Pssh," Em chuckled. "She won't catch me," he rummaged through the fridge.

"When hasn't she caught you?" I asked, shaking my head.

"I'll bet you five bucks."

"I'll take it," I shook his hand as mom came back into the kitchen.

"No cake for you," mom said nonchalantly to Emmett as he took a bite of chicken.

"Mom!"

"Pay up," I patted my hand, and Emmett handed me a five dollar bill.

"Where's Bella?" I asked mom.

"She's freshening up," she smiled. "She complained that she smelled like horse," she shook her head. "Dinner will be ready in a bit."

"Oh, my God," Alice rolled her eyes. "Have you seen…?"

"Edward?" I heard my name and instantly cringed.

"Hello, Heidi," I answered. "How are you?" I asked, trying to be polite.

She was such a bitch.

"Fine," she smiled, looking me up and down. Again. I felt awkward. Why did people do that? "We just met your Bella," she sighed. "She looks very…interesting."

When I heard her say that, I didn't think it was a compliment.

"She's really pretty," Lexi smiled, petting Snooki. "She looks like Belle from _Beauty and the Beast_," she nodded her head.

"Of course she does," Heidi sneered. "Tanya!" she called, "Come here, darling. Edward wants to see you."

"Huh?" I heard Tanya's voice call, getting closer. "What did you…oh," she stopped to look at me. "E-Edward?" she croaked, looking at me.

She looked different. Her hair was no longer strawberry but a light platinum blonde. Dare I say that her breasts looked…bigger. She didn't look like herself.

"Hey, Tanya," I waved at her. "How are you?" I asked.

I wanted to be cordial to her. I didn't want to make things awkward.

"Fine," she looked at her mother and stepped forward toward me. "You look…good," she smiled, staring at me. "Really…good."

"Thanks," I smiled, running my hands through my non-gelled hair. "I'm trying a new look."

"Well…it looks good on you," she inched closer. "Very good," she reached her hand up to touch my hair.

"I know, right?" Bella announced, leaning on the door and stopping Tanya in her tracks. "He was so scared when he got it cut," she laughed, coming over to hug my waist. "You look so cute now," she ran her fingers through my hair.

She had on a black and white blouse. It looked a little like a tuxedo shirt. She paired it with black pants and red accessories. She even had a big red flower in her hair.

"More than cute," Tanya looked at me.

"Ain't that the truth?" Bella asked, leaning up to give me a kiss.

There went that spark again. At first, I thought it was an issue with static electricity. Now that it was happening so frequently, I didn't know what to make of the situation. It seemed like whenever Bella and I touched, there was this spark that shot through my body. It was not one of those scary jolts…but a nice one. They were the kind that left me shaking with the best kind of anxiety. I liked how it felt. Sometimes, I felt like I was alone in it. Others, I would swear that she felt it, too. I was afraid to ask her.

"Babe!" some man who I'd never met before came and hugged Tanya from behind. "Where've you been? I've been waiting."

He was just as I imagined. He was definitely one of the frat boy types.

"Edward, this is Riley," she introduced me. "Riley… Edward."

"Hey, dude," Riley gave me the chin nod. Oh, God. I nodded back.

"Bella! Bella!" Lexi shouted, running over to hug Bella's leg. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Bella leaned down to hug my niece. "Who's this? Are you Megan?" Bella asked my blonde niece. "Edward told me that he had a beautiful blonde niece. I just want to make sure."

"Yeah," Megan blushed, nodding her head. "I'm Megan."

"Well, hello, Megan," Bella stuck out her hand. "I'm Bella."

"You're right," Megan told Lexi. "She does look like Belle from _Beauty and the Beast_. She's really beautiful."

"Thank you," Bella smiled, looking at me. "Your daughters are adorable," she told my siblings.

"Dinner's ready," mom announced, clapping. That was where Alice got it from. "Make your way to the dining room."

"Okay," everyone said, filing out of the room.

"Eddie," Emmett walked beside me to pat me on the back. "Bella…nice," he smiled, "Very nice. I'm happy for you, bro."

"Thanks," I smiled.

"Wow," I heard Rosalie giggling from the corner. "I have a feeling this'll be a very interesting dinner," she grinned, following Emmett.

"God help us all," Jasper huffed, leaving the kitchen.

After everyone was seated, we sat and started to make our plates.

"So, Bella," mom began, passing the potatoes to my dad, "How did you two meet?" she asked.

"It's actually a little gruesome," Bella answered, looking at me. "I was helping out a friend of mine. She asked me to audition for the orchestra. So, I get there and audition. I wasn't really feeling well. So, I bolted out the door because I just wanted to go home and sleep," she stopped to look at me. "When I opened the door, I heard this horrible bone-crushing sound followed by something hitting the ground."

"Ouch," I interrupted, rubbing my nose. "That hurt."

"I'm sorry," she smiled, kissing my nose. "I hit him with the door. His nose was so bloody. I was sure that I broke it. I stayed with him and helped him get cleaned up."

"That's so cute," Alice grinned, making Lexi's plate.

"Sure," Tanya added, rolling her eyes.

As I replayed that night, I realized a bit of information.

"That's not the first time we met," I corrected. "You flipped me off in the library," I blushed, causing Emmett to break out in laughter.

"Tell this story. Please," he begged.

"I was studying for a test," I started, "And I saw some guys staring at her butt. I didn't see her face because she was sleeping on the floor, using a stack of books as a pillow. So, I gave her my jacket as a blanket. She flipped me off for disturbing her and told me to leave her alone."

"Hey," Bella interrupted, "I was sleeping. I'm not a morning person," she defended herself. "I like my version better," she pouted. "You never told me why you gave me your jacket. Thanks for that. I hate the thought of pervy guys staring at me," she shivered.

"You're welcome," I smiled, knowing that she was genuine.

"Bella," Alec started this time, "Where are you from?"

"New York."

"What part?"

"Upper East Side."

"That's nice," Heidi simpered. "What schools did you attend?"

"I was homeschooled," Bella announced, running her hands through her hair. I knew she was thinking about what had happened with her hair and her mother making her stay in the house. I held her hand, running my thumb over her knuckles. I wanted to let her know that it was okay.

"You said you auditioned for orchestra?" Heidi asked again. "What instrument?"

"Violin," Bella answered. "I haven't played in years. I'm a little rusty."

"Oh!" Heidi smiled. "Tanya played the violin. She still does. She's been first chair for…forever, really," she said with pride as Tanya smiled at Bella.

"We should play sometime," Tanya looked Bella in the eye.

"That'd be nice," Bella smiled.

"It would," Heidi agreed, giggling.

"Carlisle mentioned that you were having difficulties with your math," Alec announced to the table. "How is that going?"

"It's great," Bella nodded her head. "I'll never be able to thank Edward enough for helping me. I was so preoccupied with my other studies, my Calc II class completely slipped away from me," she said. "I just hate not understanding things."

"What other classes were you taking?" dad jumped in.

"I had a study group for my Psych class, a short story for my Literature class, plus I was working on editing my film for the festival. You can't imagine how spread thin I was," she smiled.

Bullshit. Bella was smart. Annoyingly so. The only thing she put any effort into was her Calc II.

"Her film was amazing," I complimented.

"Of course you think so," she shook her head.

"It won, didn't it?" Alice asked.

"Yeah," Bella nodded. "I think the second place deserved it more, though," she frowned a little.

"That's the calling card for humility," dad smiled at Bella. "That's a trait a lot of people don't have…admitting when they don't deserve something."

"Thank you," Bella smiled shyly. "That means a lot."

"Wow," Heidi said. "That's something. I can imagine…working so hard on that and doing everything else. Your GPA must have taken a beating."

"No," Bella shook her head. "Not really. The only class I'm concerned with is Calc II. I have 'A's' in everything else. In Calc II, it's whether or not I get a B or a B+. That's a good problem to have. Right?" she asked, prompting my parents to nod their heads in approval.

"Nice," Emmett complimented. "My brother has himself a beauty with brains."

"I didn't do too badly, either," Bella poked my stomach.

"Her professor actually wants to publish her Psych paper," I bragged.

"Honey," she looked at me, "Don't brag about me. Please," she stared into my eyes.

I didn't want to make her uncomfortable. I couldn't help that I was proud of her. Plus, I could tell that she didn't have anyone else to dote on her.

"Really?" mom asked, impressed. "What is it about?"

"It's a correlation between the self-image and attitudes of pre-school aged children from different socio-economic backgrounds. It's centered on how each group of children treats their toys."

"Really?" Alice asked. "So if a child opened another child's vintage first-edition Barbie doll that was still mint in the package, what would that mean?"

"Well…" she started. I immediately squeezed her hand under the table, signaling for her to stop talking. This was not a battle she wanted to take sides in. Luckily, Tanya interrupted for me.

"Come on!" Tanya shouted. "That was ages ago! Get over it!"

"No," Alice calmly stated. "I'll never forget your blatant jealousy and disregard for another's property."

"You're such a bitch!" Tanya started.

"Ooh," Lexi and Megan said in unison. "You said a bad word."

"I'll give you something to…"

"Mr. and Mrs. Cullen," Bella smiled, stopping the impending argument, "I'm not sure if I've told you, but you two have a lovely home," she complimented.

"Thank you," mom smiled, waving it off. Mom loved it when people complimented the house. She took pride in her decorating skills. "I decorate in my spare time."

"Well, your taste is spectacular. You could do it professionally."

"Really?"

"Sure," Bella smiled, going back to eating her salad.

We sat and ate in silence for a couple of minutes, until Heidi broke the silence.

"Bella," she said, "It must be so exciting…you know…dating a Cullen…with _all_ that money," she started, sipping from her wine. "I mean it's not every day you find yourself in a relationship with an heir to the Cullen Banking fortune," she finished, staring at her. Bella stared back at her with a blank expression on her face.

Shit. Maybe I should have said something. Honestly, it never came up. It was not in my nature to bring up the family business every chance I got. After the Civil War, the country decided on a unified monetary system. Well…my great-grandfather many times removed was one of the people that designed the system. In doing so, he created Cullen Banking, which happened to be the first and oldest banking franchise in the country. Last time I checked, we were number three or four in the world.

"To be truthful," Bella began after a short silence, "We don't really talk about it. Money has a way of making conversations run a little frigid. Don't you think?" she asked, tuning back to her salad. "By the way, Carlisle," she smiled, "I want to commend you for taking a stand on that housing bill Clinton tried to pass in '94. People gave you guys hell for that. But in the end, you're the only bank that didn't need federal bailout money when the economy went to crap," she smiled. "So…smart move."

"Thanks," dad smiled at her. He looked at mom and they both look at me beaming.

"You seem so smart," Heidi went at her again. "What do your parents do for a living?"

"Enough about me. I feel like I'm monopolizing the conversation," Bella diverted. "Rosalie Hale, I must say that your exercise tapes are freaking…amazing," she complimented Rose.

"Thanks," Rose smiled. "I oversee everything myself, from the tapes to the food."

"It shows," Bella flexed her arms. "I feel toned…but not muscular."

"I find that women like to be fit, yet still maintain a feminine silhouette," Rose agreed.

"You're amazing," Bella nodded. "My friend, Victoria, worships the ground you walk on. She was a little chunky before you came into her life," she indulged.

"You're preaching to the choir, sister," Rose replied. "How do you think those bars are so good?" she asked, giggling.

"You didn't answer my question," Heidi snapped.

"I know," Bella replied curtly. "That was my polite way of refusing to answer it."

"Careful," she replied, "People may think you're hiding something."

"Careful," Bella smiled right back, "People might think you're pretentious."

The sound of forks scraping plates suddenly stopped.

Oh, shit.

"Well," Heidi gasped, looking around the table. Everyone was suddenly interested in their meal. "I don't think trying to get to know the girl who caught Edward's attention is pretentious," she quipped.

"It is when you only ask questions to discern whether or not I share the same social status as you…" Bella stilled, eating a forkful of mashed potatoes. "Therefore, you're trying to gage if I'm…worth paying any _real_ attention to."

I noticed the entire table had devolved into a tennis match.

"Please," Heidi huffed, running her fingers over her pearls, "If you were on food stamps, it wouldn't matter," she sneered. "We aren't _those_ people."

"Which begs the question," Bella paused, taking a sip of water, "If my background doesn't matter, why do you want to know so badly?" she asked, wiping her mouth. "Hmm?" she questioned, after a long silence.

A loud hissing sound cut the deafening silence.

"Shhh," I heard Tanya whisper as Diva jumped on her lap.

The cat had on a red cashmere sweater, with a diamond collar.

"Can I bring Snooki?" Lexi pouted.

"No," mom denied. "Tanya, get that cat off my table."

"Aw," Tanya pouted…at least she tried to. "She just misses Edward." No, she didn't. That cat hated me. "He even bought her this collar," she showed Bella. "Isn't it beautiful, Becca?"

"Uh huh. It sure is, Toyia," Bella smiled.

"Did Edward buy your dog anything?" Irina asked Bella. I'd forgotten she was even here.

"No," Bella shook her head and Tanya smiled. "I don't see the point in buying a pet clothes or jewelry, so I would never want him to, anyway. But to each his own," she went back to eating.

"What's wrong with that?"

"I doesn't make any sense," Bella explained. "When is the last time you saw a cat look at its neck?" she asked. Alice snickered. I think some wine came out of her nose. "Also, why would you buy a sweater for an animal that already has a fur coat?" she asked with a raised brow. "It's redundant and I don't get it."

"Get that cat off of my table," mom demanded again. "Dessert will be served in the solarium," she announced, getting up from the table.

"She's a smart one," dad smiled as we headed to get desert. "I approve."

"How am I doing?" Bella whispered in my ear.

"Great," I smiled, hugging her. Spark. There it went again.

"We haven't formally met," Emmett told Bella. "My name is Emmett," he shook her hand. "I'm sorry I took all the good looks and you got stuck with him," he pointed to me.

"Please," she rolled her eyes, kissing my cheek. "I have the hottest and sexiest man alive as far as I'm concerned."

"That was the most entertaining meal I've had in a long time," Rose smiled, checking her nails.

"I felt like I was at a dinner theater," Alice giggled.

"I can't believe Heidi," Jasper huffed. "She was basically giving Bella a fucking interview."

"I'm fine," Bella waved it off.

"Here we go, people," mom came in holding a huge pecan pie. "I know it's a favorite," she smiled, setting it on the table.

"Yes," Emmett pushed me out of the way to get a piece.

As a line formed, Bella sat in the corner and looked around.

"Bella," mom ushered her forward, "I know you're highly allergic to nuts, so I made this apple pie for you," mom sat a scrumptious-looking pie in front of her.

"Really?" Bella smiled, smelling the pie. "You didn't have to do that."

"Of course I did," Mom said. "A little birdie named Alice told me you'd like it," she winked.

"Thank you," Bella grinned.

"Want to share?" I asked, sitting next to her.

"I can't eat it all by myself," she gave me a piece. "I thought pecan was everyone's favorite."

"I didn't want you to feel left out," I ate a forkful.

"This is good," Bella moaned.

"Mom is the best baker I know."

"She's so sweet," she gushed, taking another forkful.

"Yeah, she is," I stopped to look at my family. It was nice to be home. "Bella…"

"If you thank me one more time…" she whispered, shaking her fist in a threat.

"Mrs. Cullen," Riley boasted, "This is a fucking delicious pie. Like…seriously…best shit I've ever tasted."

"Um…Thank you," mom sort of smile-cringed at his language in front of the girls.

"What a tool," Bella whispered. I nodded in agreement.

Another thirty minutes and the Denali's were on their way home. Alec didn't get drunk so they were able to drive home. Thank God. It was close to one o'clock in the morning, so we decided to go to bed.

"Goodnight, Uncle Eddie," Lexi and Megan said.

"Goodnight," I hugged and kissed them.

"Goodnight, Bella," they said, hugging her.

"I'm too excited to sleep," Megan bounced.

"The faster you go to sleep, the quicker Santa Clause can come," Bella whispered. "He can't come when he knows you're awake."

"Oh," they looked at each other. "Okay!" they ran upstairs.

"Can Snooki sleep with us?" Megan asked, picking the dog up.

"Sure," she said, and the girls went to their room, Snooki in tow.

"They're absolutely adorable," Bella rested her head on my shoulder before she yawned.

"Let's go to sleep," I suggested as she followed me to my room.

"I'm so tired," she announced, going through her bags. "Travelling took a lot out of me," she yawned again, pulling out some pajamas.

When she went into the bathroom to change, I took the time to get into my sleep clothes as well. I had a simple navy wife-beater, blue plaid pants, and socks. I took a spare set of sheets and began to make my bed on the floor.

"This again?" Bella asked, stepping out of the bathroom. "Edward, I'm not going to make you sleep on the floor in your own house," she took the sheets off the floor.

"But…"

"No buts," she yawned, putting the sheets in the closet. "We're sharing," she told me, patting the bed.

I took inventory of what she was wearing. It was a black and white striped tank top with black short shorts. Did she have on a bra? I was not sure. But…I can tell that the room was cold.

Great, I felt like a pervert now.

"Get in the bed," she scooted over.

"Fine," I relented, getting in next to her.

"I can't believe you sleep with socks on," she laughed, poking my sock-covered feet with her toe.

"What's wrong with that?"

"It's weird."

"So? A lot of people sleep with socks," I defended, taking my glasses off. "What if I get cold?"

"That's what covers are for," she laughed.

"Whatever," I started to take them off.

"No," she grabbed my hand. "I didn't mean take them off. It's just different, that's all. Very Edward," she ran her fingers through my hair. I welcomed the shock.

"Goodnight, Bella," I shook my head.

"Goodnight," she turned the light off.

I woke up to the sun blazing through the window. I looked at the clock to see that it was already ten o'clock in the morning. I saw that Bella was wrapped in my arms. I was shocked to see that somehow, Bella and I had become intertwined during the night. She snuggles into my chest and my nose was hit with a heavenly smell of strawberries. Bella always said that I smelled nice. But I'd never found someone who smelled like her. Her hair was all over her face and she was wiggling her nose and trying to get comfortable. She was so beautiful. I brushed some hair behind her ear. Her hair was so soft. It was kind of like a pillow. I turned my nose toward her hair and inhaled the strawberry scent.

"You have to buy peanuts at the circus," Bella mumbled, scooting closer. I grinned at her. Who knew that Bella talked in her sleep? "No…nuh uh…leave me alone," she mumbled again. "Do not…no, don't…" she whimpered. "Edward," she whispered and smiled before turning over to the other side.

"What?" I whispered to myself. Did I hear that correctly? Was Bella dreaming about me? Or was I just in her dream?

A soft knocking on the door called me out of my thoughts.

"EDDIE!" Emmett boomed, barging into the room.

"JUMANJI!" Bella screamed, waking up.

"What?" Em and I laughed at her.

"I had a dream that I was about to win Jumanji and Victoria was about to be sucked into the jungle," Bella shook her head. "It was weird."

"Mm…kay," Em said, still chuckling.

"Merry Christmas!" my nieces ran into my room and jumped on the bed.

"Merry Christmas, sweethearts," Bella smiled, hugging them.

"Wow, Bella," Lexi stared at Bella's chest, "You have really big boobies."

"I know," Megan agreed.

Emmett, of course, found this hilarious and started to laugh.

"Uh…thank you?" Bella replied awkwardly as she covered her chest

"What's so funny?" Rose asked, coming into the room.

"Nothing…"

"Auntie Rose," Lexi started, "Doesn't Bella have big boobies?"

"Well…" Rose started, moving Bella's hand out of the way, "Yes, she does," she told her niece. "Nice rack, Bella."

"Thanks?"

"Uncle Eddie, what's a rack?"

"A country in the Middle East," Bella replied quickly.

"Come on," Alice interrupted, walking by. "Brunch is ready."

"Yes!" Emmett shouted, running to the kitchen.

"Come on," Megan pulled my hand.

"You, too, Bella," Lexi pulled Bella's hand. "Santa came!"

"He did?" Bella asked. "Did he bring you lots of presents?"

"Lots!"

"A whole lots," Megan elaborated. "That was good advice you gave, Bella."

"You're welcome," she smiled, sitting down next to me.

"Merry Christmas!" mom greeted as she came into the dining room.

"Merry Christmas," everyone replied.

Breakfast was rather uneventful. It was spent with Emmett shoveling food and the girls asking if we could open presents every five minutes. As a family, we opened ours in the late afternoon.

"Are the Denali's coming?" Bella asked.

"No."

"Thank God," Alice and Rose said in unison.

"We spend Christmas with just our families," dad smiled, holding my mom's hand.

"What are your parents doing for the holidays, now that you aren't home?" mom asked, trying to make conversation.

"They're divorced," Bella informed.

"Oh," mom's smile deflated.

"It's okay," Bella said lowly. "I don't remember them ever being together. They divorced when I was two."

"Well…" mom paused, "I'm sure they miss you."

Bella laughed a little bitterly to herself before asking, "Would you mind passing the salt, Jasper?" This effectively ended that conversation.

At that moment, I felt a little sad for Bella. She didn't seem used to my parents yet. What kind of Christmas would she have been having otherwise, had she stayed? I knew she didn't have the best relationship with her family.

"It's okay," I whispered in her ear. "I didn't tell them. I'm sorry."

"Don't feel sorry for having a normal family dynamic," she told me, eating a bite of eggs.

Breakfast finished quickly and we cleaned the kitchen before dad pulled me aside as we got done getting ready for the day.

"I have to go get something," he announced. "You want to come?"

"Okay." I grabbed my jacket and followed him to his Mercedes. Emmett and Jasper came, too.

"You're getting mom's gift, aren't you?" Em asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Shut up," he ordered, picking up speed. "I ordered one of her gifts to be custom-made. I have to pick it up."

"So, you're getting Esme's gift?" Jasper laughed.

"Yes and no," dad rolled his eyes.

As much as I loved my father, he was a bit of a procrastinator. Sometimes, I had no clue how he ran the family business.

"Let's get the elephant out of the room," Emmett laughed. "What was up with Heidi last night?"

"I'm surprised she didn't ask Bella for her social security number," Jasper shook his head.

"She got a little overzealous," dad admitted. "But you all know that's Heidi."

"But why did she direct it at Bella?" I asked. "She doesn't even know her."

"Son," dad pulls into a parking space, "Every mother likes to feel that her daughter is irreplaceable. Bella is beautiful, intelligent, and well-mannered. I think she might have hurt Heidi's ego a little bit," he finished, walking into Tiffany's.

I smiled. Bella was all of those things. Why didn't she have a boyfriend? Why did I care?

We followed dad into the store. I looked around to pass the time and there it was. It was a gift that would be perfect for Bella. I had already bought her a gift and had had it shipped home. But, I knew she'd love what I was looking at. I just wasn't sure if she'd accept it because it was expensive. But, she was doing so much for me. I had to get her something extra. I went out on a limb and bought it. Hopefully, she wouldn't be too mad at me.

"Wow," Jasper walked behind me. "That's a lot of bling."

"I know," I smiled as the lady handed me my bag. Why was she looking at me funny? "I hope she likes it."

"She's that good in bed, huh?" Emmett joked.

"Hey," I warned my brother.

"No offense," he raised his hands in defense.

"Alright," dad came up, shaking his head at the receipt. "Let's go."

When we got home, dad placed our gifts with the others while the ladies weren't looking.

"Dad had to get mom a present didn't he?" Alice laughed.

"Of course."

"I can't believe he hasn't figured out yet that mom knows."

"Then she wouldn't get the big gifts like she wanted," I reasoned, walking into the den.

"She's awesome," Alice whispered, looking at Bella who was watching _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_ with my nieces. "Don't fuck this up."

"I won't," I smiled, looking at my friend.

The rest of the day went fairly quickly, and we were all in front of the Christmas tree, looking to open presents.

"I've got the camera," dad announced, checking the battery. "We're good to go."

"Who's Santa?" Jasper asked.

"Santa?" Bella asked, confused.

"The person responsible for handing out the gifts to everyone," I explained quickly. "I'll do it," I volunteered, going up to the tree.

"Um…" Bella looked around at everybody, "I'll take video and pictures and stuff," she offered and dad passed her the camera.

"This is from…Bella to Megan," I said, handing my niece the gift. "And this is to Lexi from Bella."

Their eyes lit up as they ripped through the paper, throwing it to the side when it got in the way. Bella laughed, getting it all on video.

"An Oakley Easel!" Lexi shouted.

"A Barbie dream house!" Megan screamed.

"These are awesome. Thank you," the girls ran to give Bella a hug.

"You're very welcome."

"You didn't have to give gifts," mom said.

"Mom, I told her not to," Alice pouted.

"I wanted to," Bella shrugged her shoulders.

"These are expensive," Rose admitted, smiling at Bella. "You didn't have to…"

"It's okay," Bella waved it off. "Come on. Let's continue."

To be a wealthy family, we didn't give a lot of gifts on Christmas. As a child, I was taught that Christmas wasn't about all of that. We usually only got two or three presents each per year. We donated more to charity.

As we were throwing all of the paper away, I realized that Bella wasn't here.

"Bella?" I called out, checking the next room. I caught a light gleaming under a bathroom door and slowly enter the room. I heard her talking on the phone to someone.

"I know," she mumbled into the phone. "It's just weird…seeing how a real family works. It makes me feel more damaged than I already know I am," she shook her head. Was she sniffling? "I know…I know. I miss you, too…Don't get too drunk. Okay?" she laughed. She was on the phone with Victoria. She had to be. "Bye."

"Are you okay?" I asked, sitting beside her.

"Yeah," she answered, quickly swiping tears away.

"Bella…" I rolled my eyes, pointing to her tears.

"Shut up," she wet a washcloth with hot water to wash her face. "You have an awesome family, Edward," she smiled.

"Thanks," I wipe some water from her face.

"You're welcome," she hugged my neck and kissed my cheek.

"Bella…" I looked at her, our faces dangerously close together.

"Yeah?" she replied, leaning closer.

"Hey, you guys…" Rose came into the bathroom. "Shit!" she covered her eyes. "Sorry," he apologized. "Mom sent me. You guys haven't opened your gifts," she rushed out, leaving us alone.

"That's awkward," Bella smirked as we left the bathroom.

What just happened? What just _almost_ happened?

"Okay," mom grabbed the camera and aimed it at us. "Bella, honey, why aren't you in any of the pictures?"

"I…uh…it seemed like a family thing. So, I just…"

"Nonsense," she smiled, gathering everyone together. "You're family now," she hugged her. She put the camera on a timer and posed everyone for pictures. "Say cheeeeese," she sang, and everyone followed suit.

"Let me see," Alice ran to get the camera. "This is a good one," she showed everyone. We were all smiling. Emmett had put bunny ears on my head and Megan and Lexi had done double bunny ears on Bella.

"This looks like something you'd see in a Sears catalogue," dad laughed.

"Hey," Bella looked at my nieces, "You put bunny ears on me," she tickled them.

"It was f-funny."

"I'd do it again," Lexi breathed.

While Bella tortured my nieces, I went to get my gifts to her from the tree. Like ripping off a Band-Aid, I handed the expensive gift to her first. She wouldn't get too mad in front of my parents. I hoped, anyway.

"Here you go," I placed the blue gift bag on her lap. "I got this for you. Merry Christmas, Bella."

"Edward," she smiled, opening the bag. "Tiffany's?" she questioned. "You didn't have to," she stared into my eyes.

"I wanted to," I said, throwing her words back at her. "Open it."

She reached to the bottom of the bag and pulled out the box. She smiled and giggled to herself as she opened the wooden box.

"Come on," she gazed into the box. "Edward, this is too expensive. I can't take this from you," she told me as she took the silver and diamond bangle out of the box and showed it to me.

"Bella," I took it from her. "I want you to have it. Please?" I asked, trying my best Alice pout. "It's made with conflict-free diamonds. I checked," I told her.

"I guess so," she rolled her eyes slightly and I put the bangle on her.

"It's so sparkly," Megan looked at it.

"This is a good gift, Uncle Eddie," Lexi smiled.

"Whoa," Alice nodded her head in appreciation.

"This beats any gift he gave that hag," Rose laughed, putting some things in the new Gucci bag Emmett had bought her.

"Rose," Mom hissed.

"It's not like I was the only one thinking it," Rose countered.

"Bella," mom grinned, "He takes after his father with the gift giving," she bragged as dad fastened the most-likely expensive necklace around her neck.

"Yeah," Bella giggled as Alice took a picture of Bella wearing the bangle.

"Here's your other gift."

"You got me two gifts?"

"Just open it," I ordered giving her the bag.

"Fine," she looked at the box in confusion and a little excitement. "Oh, my God!" she looked at the gift and started to laugh uncontrollably. "I-I-I…" she paused, "I can't believe you bought me this. Seriously?" she asked me, holding up the toy.

"I feel like you need some convincing," I nonchalantly answered.

"Really?" she got up slowly and gave me my present. "Open it," she said, and I noticed that the box she handed me was the same size and shape of her second gift.

"You didn't."

"Oh, yeah," she nodded her head slowly. "I did."

"You know," I opened the box, "This isn't going to end well for you," I warned as I pulled out my weapon.

"Let's not get too cocky," she walked around me in a circle.

At this point, the entire family was looking at us like we were crazy. But I was too focused on my opponent.

"Bella," I deadpanned, turning on my Special Edition Luke Skywalker Light Saber…complete with light and sound effects.

"Edward," she returned the sentiment, flicking the switch on her Dark Side Edition Darth Vader Saber, triggering the infamous red glow.

"Is this seriously about to happen?" Alice stepped between us.

"If so," Emmett stood up, "Let me get it on tape," he said, turning the video camera back on.

"Five bucks on Bella," Jasper whispered to Rose.

"Please," Rose shook her head, "Edward has it…all the way," she shook Jasper's hand.

"Come on, Bella," I waved the toy around. It made the sound when you moved it. Cool! Don't get distracted! "Scared?"

"Never!" Bella shouted, moving her sword to strike me. I blocked and pushed her back.

"And so it begins..."

Fifteen minutes later…

"Don't you run from me!" Bella chased me through the kitchen with Emmett on her heels. He'd been following us around the house since it started.

"This action sequence will be awesome once I edit it," Emmett boasted.

"I must admit," I defended against another strike, "I've underestimated your skill."

"Same here," Bella breathed, following me outside. "It doesn't change…shit," she stopped, taking a spill down the last three steps.

Shit!

"Bella?" I asked, turning off my weapon. "Are you okay?" I sat down next to her to check her scrapes.

"Yeah," she got up. "I skinned my hands a little."

"Okay," dad broke us up, "That's enough. We'll call it a tie and invoke a truce."

The entire family came out to take pictures and laugh at us. I looked at Bella and she was blushing. That hardly ever happened.

After that, Bella bandaged her hands and we got ready for bed.

"This was the best Christmas ever," Bella smiled, getting out a pair of pajamas.

"Hey, guys!" Alice popped her head in the door. "Me, Jasper, Emmett, and Rose are going downtown to _Hype_," she informed. "They're having their annual Jingle Jam. You guys in?"

"Do you want to go?" Bella asked.

I was not really much of a partier. But, if she wanted to go, I'd go.

"I don't care," I shrugged my shoulders.

"I'm not ready to go to bed," Bella smiled. "When are we leaving?"

"In an hour," my sister beamed, walking away.

"Do you really want to go?" Bella asked me. "We don't have to go."

"It's cool," I said, getting my bag to find something to wear.

It only took me ten minutes to get ready. I put on a black shirt, black jeans, and some sneakers. Bella spent most of the time doing her hair. After clipping the top up, she curled it at the ends and it flowed down over her chest. Then she put on a red dress that came to mid-thigh with one shoulder. She put on gold high-heeled shoes, some of her bangles, and a fur coat.

"Ooh," Rose whispered as we came down the stairs. "Aren't you two a sexy couple?"

"We try," Bella smiled, kissing my cheek.

We all piled into Emmett's Escalade and made our way downtown.

"How is _Hype_?" Bella asked.

"It's a pretty calm, laid-back club," Jasper explained. "You'll like it."

"They have the best martinis," Rose gushed.

"Yes," Alice smiled. "I'll get you one, Bella."

"Please and thank you," Bella hugged my sister and Rose.

It took us some time to find a parking space. When we did, we walked to the front of the line.

"Let us handle this," Alice pushed us back, leading Bella and Rose to talk to the door bouncer.

"Aw…boo!" those waiting in line shouted in chorus as the six of us walked through the door…just as two people began arguing loudly.

"Fuck you!" the blonde-haired man shouted at his red-haired companion.

"Please," the red-haired woman flipped him off, "You can suck it…and fuck it!" she pushed him.

"Oh…I'll give you something to fuck."

"Like I'd throw you a bang," the woman flipped her hair, shaking her head, "Who the fuck wears penny loafers to a club, anyway?"

"Bitch!"

"Asshole!" the girl shouted. I couldn't see her. It was too dark.

I could see the guy, though. It was James. What an asshole.

"You owe me a drink, you fucktard!" the girl shouted at him.

"Edward?" Bella came back to get me. I pointed to the arguing couple. They were about to get thrown out of the club by the bar bouncer.

"Wait a minute," Bella looked closely. "Victoria?" she shouted.

The redhead turned around to reveal…Victoria?

What the Hell was she doing with here…with James?


	10. Chapter 10

**EMOTIONAL WARFARE**

**Link to outfits on my profile. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. **

**Chapter 10**

**BELLA**

Flashback…

_December 25th, fifteen years ago…_

"_Come on, Bella," I heard my nanny, Cecily, calling to me. "Time to wake up, sweetie." _

"_Okay," I said as I rubbed my eyes to see. Then I remembered what day it was. "Merry Christmas!" I hugged her. _

"_Merry Christmas, precious," she smiled. "Your daddy needs you to get ready, okay?" she smiled. _

"_Okay," I yawned, taking her hand to go into the elevator. Then, we headed into my closet. _

_There were lots and lots of clothes in my closet. Most of the time, I outgrew them before I got a chance to wear them. I wished other kids could have some of them. I didn't need all of these clothes. _

"_Can I wear this?" I asked, going deep into my closet to find my favorite green sparkly shirt, my bright orange tutu skirt, and my yellow shoes hidden in the back. I liked them because they were really colorful. They reminded me of Starburst candy, and they didn't look like the clothes mommy and daddy made me wear. I liked that best of all._

"_Sorry, sweetie," Cecily shook her head, "It's pretty, but I don't think your daddy would like it. Remember, I got those from Goodwill for you to wear only when it's just you and me at home."_

"_But…"_

"_Let's try this nice red and white dress," she held the dress up to me. "It'll look cute on you," she said as she filled up the tub for me to take a bath. _

"_Okay," I rolled my eyes and jumped into the tub. _

_After I got ready, I __walked_ _with Cecily to go see my daddy. _

"_Is daddy busy?" I asked, looking up at her. _

"_I don't know, sweetie," she looked at me like she was sad. "Let's go check."_

"_Okay," I said, skipping down the hall. _

_Our house was really big. There were a lot of shiny wood floors and really tall ceilings. Sometimes, I got lost. One time, it took Cecily an hour before she found me. It was kind of cool because you could hear everything. It was scary at night, though. Now that I thought about it, this house might be haunted._

_It hadn't been that scary lately. Daddy had a huge Christmas tree put in the entryway of the house. It went all the way to the ceiling. He hired people to decorate it with lights and ornaments, so it lit up the house at night. I didn't even know why daddy lived here. It was only us…when I didn't have to stay with my mommy and Phil. _

"_Do you have a family, Cecily?" I asked her as we passed the big fireplace in one of the living rooms. It sounded scary when it crackled. _

"_Yes, I do," she smiled. _

"_Then, why are you here?" I asked. It was Christmas Day. Shouldn't she be with them? Even daddy was home with me today. _

"_You guys need me," she answered as we passed the scary picture that hung on the wall. It was really creepy. It was about this man standing on a bridge and he was screaming. It was ugly. Daddy said that I couldn't touch it. _

"_But…it's just me and daddy. Don't you want to be with them?" I asked. "Daddy is here today. He'll take care of me," I smiled. She just shook her head sadly and knocked on daddy's office door. _

"_Come in," he said, and I opened the door and went in. _

_Daddy's office was big. It took up this entire floor of the house. There was a long table running down the center, with big leather chairs on each side. Plus, there was a phone in the middle of the table. When I was allowed, I liked being in here. You could see all of the pretty buildings outside. It was in the morning, so the sun was hitting all of the buildings and they sparkled. _

"_It snowed!" I shouted, running to the window and putting my face against the glass. _

"_It sure did," daddy smiled, pulling me away from the glass. "It's a white Christmas."_

"_Merry Christmas," I hugged daddy's leg._

_This year, I got to spend Christmas with my daddy. I hadn't seen him in a very long time. He was always working. I couldn't wait. I got him for the whole day. _

"_Merry Christmas, Bella," he laughed, picking me up. "I missed you, baby girl."_

"_I missed you, too, Daddy," I kissed his cheek. _

"_I have a surprise for you," he smiled, putting me on the floor. _

"_Here, Sir," Cecily gave daddy his coat and put my coat on me before we headed outside. _

"_Where are we going?" I asked as the driver closed the door on the limo._

"_You'll see," he ruffled my hair as we started driving. _

_We spent the next few minutes singing Christmas carols until the driver opened the door. _

"_Merry Christmas, Bella!" daddy shouted, waving his hand to the toy store. _

"_FAO Schwarz is closed, Daddy," I pouted. "Everything is closed on Christmas."_

"_Not for you, princess," he opened the door. _

"_Wow," I smiled as I walked through into the toy store. _

_I had been here before, but I'd never been here by myself. It seemed so much…bigger. There was a giant train running through the store…and a giant piano. Everything was bigger here. _

"_Thank you! Thank you!" I jumped up and down and hugged his legs. _

"_Merry Christmas, Mr. Swan," a man in a red jacket smiled at him. "Hey there, Miss Bella," he grinned. I waved back. _

_There was a line of people who worked at the store waiting there for us. They were all smiling at us. It was weird. Everyone smiled at my daddy…even though they didn't know him. _

"_You can get anything you want, as much as you want," daddy grabbed my hands, kissing my forehead. _

"_Yay!" I screamed running towards the Barbie dolls. _

_I got everything…dolls, dishes, cars, candy, stuffed animals, games, and this really big teddy bear. I even got one of those giant keyboards that took up the whole floor. I went to show daddy what I'd bought, but I couldn't find him. Where was he?_

"_Daddy?" I cried, running through the store, the man in the red jacket running after me. "Daddy!" I shouted again. _

"_Shhh!" he whispered, talking on his phone. _

_I hated that awful thing. _

_I sat on one of the big couches I'd gotten and waited for him to finish. _

"_I'm finished," I said, pointing to the people in line holding my gifts._

"_Oh my," he smiled, picking me up. "You had a great time, didn't you?"_

"_Mhmm," I nodded my head, eating a Hershey bar. "Daddy?"_

"_Yes, princess?"_

"_Is it true that some kids don't get presents on Christmas?"_

_That was sad. _

"_Yeah," he put me down. "Their mommies and daddies can't afford to get them gifts."_

"_Where are they?" _

"_Everywhere," he said as the line of people in red rang up my gifts._

_Now I felt bad. I had all of these gifts, and some kids didn't have any. "Daddy?"_

"_Mhmm?"_

"_Can I give them some of my gifts?"_

"_I'm buying those for you, sweetie. You've been good this year," he kissed my forehead. _

"_But you can buy me more," I said. "I feel bad that I have gifts and they don't," I looked at the huge line moving. _

"_Okay," he huffed, turning to the smiling man in the red coat. "For every one thing she bought, donate five to charity," he said, taking out his checkbook. _

"_Thank you, Daddy!" I hugged his leg. _

_It took an hour for everyone to pack up what I wanted. They said that they would have to deliver most of it to my daddy's house. I was happy, though, because I had a big bag with me in the car, and I was going to play with daddy when we got back to our house._

"_Can we play Candy Land when we get home?" I asked daddy in the car, "Or Shuts and Ladders?" I asked excited, holding up the games. "It's going to be so much fun!" I smiled. _

_Then, daddy started looking funny. _

_That was never good. _

"_Bella, honey," he sighed, "I need you to pick three toys that you want to play with."_

"_Okay." I picked Candy Land, Shuts and Ladders, and Memory. I picked games because I wanted to play with my daddy. I was always playing by myself. "Which one do you want to play first?"_

"_Bella, honey," he sighed, "You're taking them to your mommy's house. Daddy has to go to work."_

"_What?" I shouted, dropping the games on the floor of the limo. "But you said…"_

"_I know, honey, I'm sorry," he told me. "I'm dropping you off at your mom and Phil's house..."_

"_No!" I cried. "I don't like mommy and Phil's house. I want to stay with you!" Huge tears fell from my eyes. "You said we were spending Christmas together, you promised, Daddy!"_

"_I'm sorry…"_

"_You always do this!" I crossed my arms. "Please, Daddy?" I _begged_. "I'll stay with Cecily at home out of your way. I'll be quiet, please, just don't send me to mommy's house."_

"_Cecily has to be with her own family."_

"_This isn't fair!" I shouted, crying harder. _

"_Bella," he looked in my eyes, "You're five years old now. You're a big girl, and big girls don't throw hissy fits."_

"_It's not fair," I whimpered. _

_I sat in the limo with my arms crossed, tears running down my cheeks, until we pulled up to my mommy's apartment building. _

"_I'll take you up," he opened the door, and we took the elevator to the top floor. _

"_Where is she?" mommy asked. She sounded mad, but then she always sounded mad when it was about me. I peeked out from behind my daddy's legs. "Just as I thought, she needs to stand up straight and stop hiding, and what the Hell is she wearing?" she frowned at me as some lady came into the room with a lot of poufy dresses and a brush. _

_I noticed a lot of people were rushing around the apartment. They were carrying food, decorations, and bottles. She was throwing another party. That wasn't good. _

_I hated Mommy's parties. She always made me dress up in something stupid and play for her friends. I wasn't even allowed to talk to anybody. _

"_It's about time you __dropped her off," mommy said. "You're late as usual," she frowned even more as the lady started raking a brush through my hair. _

"_Must you be so hateful?" daddy shook his head._

"_Don't you have somewhere to be?" mommy replied, rolling her eyes. She sounded rude._

"_Daddy, please…" I begged him. _

_Don't leave me here._

"_Bye, sweetie," daddy bent down to kiss my forehead, before he turned quickly and stepped back into the elevator, the doors closing as I saw him drop his head. He was gone again. _

"_Do something with her hair, it's so...hopeless!" mommy pulled my hair as she yelled at the lady with the brush. "Dress her in this," she shoved some clothes at her, "and some makeup wouldn't hurt, either, she looks dreadful," she added then turned to me. "Have you been practicing your violin?" she demanded. _

"_Yes."_

"_Go to your room, and keep practicing until your called," she pointed to the instrument on the table. "You'll be playing at the party."_

"_Mommy…"_

"_Now!" she pointed down the hall. _

"_Okay," I grabbed the violin and ran down the hall._

_I shoved the sheet music onto the stand and started tuning. _

"_I hate __Christmas," I whimpered, wiping my tears and started practicing. _

I sat on the couch at the Cullen's house, watching how they all interacted with each other.

"A diamond necklace!" Esme beamed, hugging her husband. "It's beautiful."

"Not half as beautiful as you," he kissed her again and hugged her. "I knew you wanted one."

"Thank you," she kissed him.

"Ew…" Emmett gagged, shuddering in disgust, "Get a room."

"Get a hotel," Carlisle replied, and we all burst out in laughter.

Was this how Christmas was supposed to be? I tried my best to treat this holiday as any normal day. Seeing these happy people come together just for the sake of being together made me think. They were happier with their three gifts than I ever was with my extravagant shopping spree. I shook my head, thinking this was yet another thing to feel out of place about. I snuck away and called Victoria.

"Merry Christmas, bitch!" she yelled.

"Merry Christmas, slut!" I replied.

"What's up?" she answered. She sounded out of breath.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing good. Hey, what's wrong?" she asked. "Is Edward's mom a bitch?"

"No," I laughed. "She's awesome."

"So…?"

"I had a flashback."

"What kind?"

"A childhood flashback."

"Shit," she huffed. "Those are the worst. How bad was it?"

"The FAO Schwarz incident."

"Damn. Brutal."

"It's just…it's so surreal, you know?" I rubbed my eyes, thinking about everything. "His family is so nice and normal. It makes me feel…awkward," I admitted.

My parents had screwed me up more than I'd thought.

"His mom baked me an apple pie," I gushed, thinking about how sweet Esme was…in contrast to my harpy of a mother.

"No, shit?" she gasped. "Rich women bake?" she asked in awe, "By themselves?"

"Yep," I shared her enthusiasm. "She heard that I was allergic to nuts, so she baked me my own pie," I sniffled. "My own mother forgot…even after I almost died," I whimpered. "I've been so neglected by my own parents," my voice cracked.

"Bella," she sighed, "We've been over this. We wouldn't be the tough, sexy, crazy, cool bitches we are today if our parents weren't fuck-ups," she said in a stern voice. "I'm thankful for my shitty upbringing."

"I know," I said. "It's just weird…seeing how a real family works. It made me feel more damaged than I really am."

"Damn," Vic sighed on the phone. "I'm sorry, B. I wish I could be there for you right now. I miss you."

"I know…I know. I miss you, too. Don't get too drunk, okay?" I told her seriously. I didn't like getting too sentimental. As I started to say goodbye, I felt Edward walk into the room. "Bye," I told Victoria.

What was with him always showing up when I was upset? He probably thought I was a crybaby.

As always, Edward was there to make me feel better. I didn't know what it was about him. He just had the knack for making everything okay. I couldn't see why any woman wouldn't want him. I still couldn't make sense of the spark I felt when I was near him. There had to be some explanation for that. Right?

Edward loved his fuck-awesome gift. I adored mine as well. It was so amazing that he really got me. That saber was awesome. It even made the laser sound when you moved it. How cool was that?

I couldn't believe he'd bought me that ostentatious diamond bangle. That was entirely too much. I felt guilty for taking it. I would have been happy with just my Vader saber. Outrageous gift or not, he helped put my earlier sadness into the back of my mind.

After Carlisle, Esme, and the kids went to bed, Alice and the rest of the gang invited us to go out clubbing. I was not much of a partier. Edward wasn't much, either. However, I didn't feel like going to bed, so I thought, what the Hell?

Alice, being the tiny force of nature she was, marched all three of us ladies to the front of the line and demanded that the six of us be let in. After taking a look at the three of us girls, and taking a quick stare at my boobs, the bouncer let us inside.

The club was really nice…everything you'd expect from a trendy, upscale club. The dance floor took up the entire bottom floor, with the exception of a circular bar in the middle. Then, you had the laser and strobe lights that made it hard for you to see what was in front of you. Victoria would've loved it here. I laughed at the thought.

I looked around the club after we were let in and noticed that there was a commotion going on between two other patrons, and the bouncer was about to toss them out of the club. I walked forward, seeing someone I wasn't expecting.

"Victoria?" I asked, confused and a little disturbed.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I mean, anyone could tell that Victoria liked to party. I just didn't think she'd come to Connecticut…from Massachusetts…on a moment's notice…while on probation.

She was _**so**_ going to jail.

"Surprise?" she said in the form of a question, walking toward me. She could still stand, so she couldn't have been in the club that long.

"What are you doing here?" I walked up to hug her. "You shouldn't be here."

"You're welcome…bitch," she giggled. "I came to see you," she leaned a little bit. "Moral support and all," she whispered, loudly. I was sure Edward heard her.

"Hey, Victoria," Edward smiled and waved. "How's it going?" he asked awkwardly.

Edward hadn't had much contact with my best friend. From what he'd seen, I was pretty sure she hadn't made the best impression. She was a unique bitch, I gave her that. But…she was my best friend.

"Great," she leaned to the other side, "Now that I have my buddy," she put an arm around my shoulder. "You're my buddy, too, Edward," she put her other arm around his shoulder.

"I'm so…" I searched for the appropriate word, "Surprised."

"I know, right?" she gleamed. "When you left, I felt so shitty. So, I worked out a deal with my parole office, and he let me come for the week."

"You slept with him, didn't you?" I face-palmed myself.

"Bella," she held her hand over her heart, "I can't believe you'd think so little of me," she wiped a fake tear. She whispered something in Edward's ear, and he started to cough.

Yep, she'd slept with the guy…most likely. Most would have been disgusted. To some degree, I was, but I felt more honored to have her as a friend. Not many would have risked that. I wouldn't screw a guy for her…but I'd bribe the shit out of somebody if it meant keeping her out of trouble.

"You know that loser?" James pointed at Edward, interrupting our conversation.

"Shut it, James," Vic glared at him.

James? The douchebag who had teased Edward and accused me of being a prostitute in the same sentence? How did Vic know this fucker?

"He's my friend, asshole!" I shouted, giving him the finger.

"Ma'am," the bouncer stepped in again, "I'll have to ask you to either settle down or leave the club," he told me.

"Sir," I smiled, slipping him one hundred dollars, "Could you find it in your heart to forgive my friend for whatever she did to get thrown out?" I asked, fluttering my eyes a little. "I'm taking personal responsibility," I added smiling. I willed him to hurry and take the bait. My face was starting to hurt.

"This is your last chance," he pointed to Victoria, and my friend danced back toward the bar. "What about him?" he pointed to James.

"Fuck him," Edward deadpanned, leading us behind my friend. Victoria turned and stuck her tongue out at James, and we headed off to find a table, as the bouncer showed James the door.

My heart filled with joy as Edward said those two words. Maybe FYB was working. He was growing up. Next…he'd be giving people the finger.

"Yes!" Victoria high-fived Edward and I started to laugh. "Leave us for a second, Eddie," Vic shooed him away.

"It's Edward," he corrected, walking toward his siblings and friends.

"So?" she stopped, raising an eyebrow. "What's the story there?"

"It's a long one," I sighed. "Play along," I winked. "Thanks for coming."

It meant a lot that she would risk possibly going to jail in order to be there for me. She was pretty much the only family I had.

"Anytime," she nudged my shoulder. "You were so upset on the phone. I would've come to Edward's house, but I didn't have the address. Asking would've ruined the surprise," she hugged me.

"Your skank tendencies paid off," I teased.

"Whore," she rolled her eyes. "When are you and Edward going to put an end to that sexual frustration?"

This again…

"Victoria," I groaned.

"No," she waved her hands, "You guys want each other. Why don't you just go for it?"

"It's not…" I paused, "I don't know."

"Oh," she smiled sinisterly. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," I admitted, thinking about what had happened earlier today. "We had a moment…at least I did…I think," I told her.

This afternoon in the bathroom, I'd felt something when Edward was talking to me. The way he looked at me…I didn't know. He was so sweet to me…calming me down and telling me everything was okay. He really cared. He was a great person.

"How did he like the saber?"

"He bought me one, too."

"How sweet," she gagged herself. "Although, it could be quite kinky…if you two get over yourselves."

"Shut up," I rolled my eyes, walking over to where everyone had settled at a table. "Hey, guys," I pulled Vic by my side to introduce her, "This is my best friend…"

"Oh, my God!" Vic shouted, running over to Rose and kissed her square on the mouth. "I fucking worship you," she smiled. "You're hotter in person," she nodded her head, licking her lips. Emmett looked like he didn't know whether to be offended or turned on. "No fucking way!"

Victoria had had a little trouble with her weight in high school. She wasn't fat or anything. She just gained weight really quickly. That all changed once she started doing Rose's tape. I think Vic had a girl crush on her.

"Uh…"

"I'm Victoria," she shook everyone's hand. "I'm Bella's friend. I'm passing through for the week," she said.

"Cool," Alice smiled, pulling her down. "It's awesome that I get to meet a friend of Bella's…since her and Edward have been dating so long," she smiled, sipping a little of her drink.

A sinister smile erupted on Victoria's face, and she looked at me and Edward. "Oh, yeah," she looked embarrassed, "They've been going at it for the longest time," she fake blushed, and Alice and Rose started to laugh.

Oh shit.

"I'm just glad Edward found a girl like Bella," Emmett said, coming out of his girl-on-girl stupor.

"Well…" Edward smiled, hugging me close to him, "I am, too," he winked at me, leaning in to give me a kiss. He was a _**good**_ kisser.

There was that spark again. What was with that?

"You taste like strawberries," Edward pointed out, as I wiped some gloss off of his lips.

"It's a new flavor I'm trying," I told him, as I looked away.

"He thinks you taste nice," Vic whispered in my ear. "Tell him your pussy tastes better."

"Vic!" I poked her. "Someone will hear you."

She flipped me off and turned to the rest of the group. "You know…" she led off, smirking at me and Edward, "Our favorite couple over here acts all sweet and innocent…but they are _**so**_ freaky," she laughed and nodded her head. "One time, I came home and Edward was pile-driving Bella like nobody's business," she finished.

I immediately had a flashback. That had actually happened, except I was the one who walked in on my high school Physics teacher pile-driving Vic in the teacher's lounge during the Homecoming dance. I was traumatized.

"Victoria!" Edward shrieked.

"Eddie!" Emmett drawled out, standing up to give his brother a hug, "My man!"

"I thought he was going to kill poor Bella," she added, pointing to me. "Look at her. She's so skinny."

"Okay, okay," I settled her down.

"Bella," Rose shook her head, "You dirty little whore."

"What's a girl to do?" I looked at Edward adoringly, who had gone beet red. "Look at him," I smiled, kissing his cheek. "He's irresistible."

"How long have you two been friends?" Jasper asked.

"Since we were…seven," Vic answered. "We grew up in the same building."

"The Dwyer building?" Alice asked.

"Yeah," Vic smiled, turning to look at me funny. I was not known for giving out much information about where I lived.

"Let's dance! It's Christmas. I want to dance and get drunk." She got up to head for the dance floor, "You coming, ladies?" she asked, pointing to us.

"Hell yeah!" Alice jumped up and we all followed suit.

"Wait," Vic ran back to the guys at the table, "Can I ask you guys a question?" she asked and they all nodded their heads. "Who's gonna carry my drunk ass out of here when I can't walk in the next two hours?" she laughed. "We'll slur later," she waved them off and walked to the dance floor.

"Some random guys bought the four of us drinks," Alice smiled, handing me a strawberry margarita.

"Don't you just love being pretty?" Vic asked, as Alice and Rose smiled.

"Of course," Rose smiled, and the four of us made our way to the middle of the dance floor, as one of my favorite songs came on.

"I love this song!" Alice screamed, as the beat dropped.

The song started, and I started swaying my hips to the beat, enjoying the vibration of the bass. I begin singing along with the lyrics, and I heard the girls singing it with me.

I turn around and laughed, seeing that Rose was fake humping Alice, and they were both making the "O" face.

"Uh-oh," I teased, "It looks like your guys have some competition," I raised an eyebrow.

"Never," Rose shook her head, as Vic danced over to me.

"Let's do this," she took my hand and started dancing around me. "This is how you do it."

She moved in front of me and ground down to the floor, before slinking her way back up, and then she started grinding on me…and drinking her margarita at the same time. She didn't spill a drop.

"Drunkard," I told her.

"Bitch," she laughed, moving closer.

We put our arms around each other's necks and started dancing together to the music.

"Yes!" some guy yelled at us, fist pumping the air.

"As if," Vic flipped him off and I laughed at her. Then, I saw a blonde guy walk past, and her eyes followed his path.

"Go on," I released her, rolling my eyes.

"If you insist," she checked her boobs and walked/ran after blondie. "Hey, sexy," I heard her say, and I couldn't help but giggle.

Soon, I saw that Emmett and Jasper had joined us on the floor and were dancing with Alice and Rose. As the song changed, it seemed like the floor had paired off. You couldn't really dance by yourself to slow songs. So I went back to the table to find Edward. I wondered how he was doing.

I looked at the sight before me and had mixed emotions. I didn't know whether to laugh or be mad. Edward was sitting in the booth…with two women sitting across from him. Twins. Scantily-clad twins. Giggling…touchy…twins. He was looking everywhere but at the two people in front of him. Sometimes, he found the label on his beer to be particularly interesting. Couldn't they see he was not interested? Did they not see us come in together?

When things like this happened, it confused me even further why Edward would maintain the opinion he was ugly. With that sex hair, chiseled features, a hot shirt that showed off every muscle in his toned body, and contacts that made his lash-laden bright green eyes sparkle, he was stunning. I finished the rest of my drink and moved to rescue him…again.

"Hey, lover," I smiled, kissing his cheek and sitting next to him. "The dance floor is so lonely without you," I pouted, as I lay my head on his shoulder.

"Sorry," he flashed me that gorgeous straight white smile I loved. I saw a wave of relief wash over him.

"He was busy…" twin number one smiled.

"Talking to us…" twin number two raised an eyebrow.

"Well…" I lay across Edward's lap, "Thanks for keeping him company," I smirked, running my fingers through his hair. His adorable crooked smirk played across his lips, and I took the opportunity to run my tongue along his bottom lip. His breath caught as I kissed him, and I laughed a little. His tongue slipped between my lips and began massaging mine. That was…different. Our hands found their way into each other's hair as we continued exploring each other's mouths.

"Whoa," I breathed, coming up for air and touched my chest. "That was…"

"Uh-huh…" he nodded his head, looking dazed.

Was I drunk?

I lay my head on his shoulder, only to see that Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum were still sitting in the booth staring at us.

"Do you need a second hint?" I asked, wiping some of my lip gloss off of Edward's mouth.

"Bitch," they called in unison, jumping up from the table.

"Thank you," he blushed, licking his lips.

"You're welcome," I smiled, rubbing my lips.

He was a really good kisser.

"They were so touchy," he shivered. "I didn't want to be mean…but they wouldn't stop talking…and touching."

"You got hit on by twins," I told him. "_Twins_," I exaggerated. "I must say, I'm impressed."

'They weren't hitting on me," he shook his head.

"Yeah," I argued, "Why would they want to share?" I asked, shaking my head. "I'll share a womb, but I couldn't see myself sharing a man. Nasty."

"What do you mean by sharing…?" he paused. "No way," he rolled his eyes, "Nuh-uh."

He was so…Edward.

"Suit yourself," I pinched his cheek. "You don't want to dance?" I asked, looking at the dance floor. Everyone seemed to be having fun.

"No," he sighed. "I'm not much of a dancer."

"We can leave if you want," I whispered. "We don't have to stay."

I didn't want to stay if he would be miserable the whole time. It was not really his scene.

"I'm okay," he ran his hand over my hair. "You're already doing so much. I can stay longer."

There he went again…being all noble and shit.

"I don't have to stay. If you don't want to…"

"Bella," he rolled his eyes. "It's fine."

"Okay then," I leaned my head on his shoulder, "One dance…with me…and then we'll go," I compromised. "That way everyone's happy," I explained, raising up and reaching my hand out for him.

"But…"

"Edward," I rolled my eyes, smirking.

"I don't…"

"_Edward_!" I poked him repeatedly.

"Bella…"

"Lover," I smiled, poking his cheek, "_Please_?" I drawled out

"Okay," he sighed, rolling his eyes and took my hand.

"Why do I feel this is a big step for you?" I asked.

"Because it is," he groaned, stepping onto the floor as the song changed.

"I love this song," I told him. "It's kind of slow, so you don't have to worry too much." I didn't see why he was so worried. Girls did all the work when couples were club dancing, anyway.

"See," I stood with my back to him so he was facing behind me, "It's easy," I smiled, reaching my arm behind me to wrap around his neck. "Just move with me to the beat," I coached him, swaying and rocking my hips, putting one of his hands on my stomach. "One, two…one, two…one, two…" I said as he moved his hips with mine. "You're not so bad," I teased.

"If you say so," he croaked.

"I do say so," I smiled.

"Go, Edward, go!" I heard Emmett shout, pointing at us.

"Work those hips, Bella!" Alice shouted, grinding on Jasper.

"Oh, God," Edward moaned, his face falling into the crook of my neck.

I laughed, until I noticed the beat starting to change. Call me cruel, but I wanted to try something.

"Keep doing it this way, okay?" I directed Edward, who was swaying to the beat.

"Okay," he nodded his head.

I started moving my hips a little faster against his, before I slowly dropped my hips to the floor, grinding to the beat. Then, I worked my way back up, grinding against him as I made my way back to wrapping my arms around Edward's neck.

"Yes!" I heard Victoria shout. I looked up to see that she was grinding on the blonde guy we'd seen earlier. She now had two drinks…one in each hand. They were both half empty. "That, ladies and gentlemen, is why we're best friends!" she shouted, taking a gulp of both drinks.

"Uh…" Edward croaked, grabbing my hips, "I'm ready to go now," he rushed, stepping back from me.

"Okay," I said. "A deal is a deal."

"I'll go get our stuff," he mumbled, turning around and walking away. Or was it a jog?

Whoa. That was intense.

"We're going to head home," I told the rest of the gang.

"I'll bet you are," Jasper laughed, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Don't wake the kids," Rose grinned.

"How are you getting home?" Alice asked. "Emmett drove."

"Here," Vic dug down in her bra and gave me her keys…or rather my keys. "Take the…"

"You stole Cheetah?" I asked.

"Steal is such a harsh word," she waved me off. "I was going to give it back. I like to ride in style," she smiled, still grinding on blondie.

"Whatever," I said as I felt Edward's hand take mine.

There was the spark...again.

"Ready?" he asked, coughing.

"Yeah," I said, jingling the keys.

"Okay," he lent his arm, and we left the club.

I checked my watch to see that it was after two o'clock in the morning. At that realization, I started to yawn. It was later than I thought.

"Do you feel like driving?" he asked, looking at me. "If you're tired…"

"Bullshit," I called him out playfully. "You just want to drive Cheetah," I accused, causing him to blush.

"If my driving your cars happens to prevent us from crashing into a median on the way home," he paused, "So be it."

"I love your way with words," I yawned, giving him the keys.

"Awesome!" he shouted and grinned widely, running to the car.

"You're such a man," I laughed, scanning my fingerprint to turn the car on.

"I almost forgot how cool this car is," he gushed, opening my door for me.

"Thanks," I smiled. I didn't know men still opened doors for women.

"You're welcome," he waved me off, walking around to take a seat.

"_Welcome back, Edward_," the car spoke in its girly voice.

"It remembered me," he smiled, as the seat and pedals automatically adjusted to his size. "Wow," he grinned.

"_Please pick a destination_," the car asked, prompting him to put in his address.

"This is so cool…" Edward startled as Cheetah started backing out of the parking space on its own. "What's happening?" he asked, worried. "I'm not doing anything."

Shit. Vic had it on auto-drive. Lazy bitch.

"Engage manual drive," I spoke to the car and it stopped in its tracks.

"_Manual drive engaged_," the car spoke. "_You are now free to take the wheel, Edward_," the car instructed, and the steering wheel vibrated.

"_Bella_?" Edward drew out my name.

"Edward," I replied, shaking my head, "Don't ask."

I was not in the mood to discuss anything related to this car.

"Fine," he said, driving off.

"I'm sorry you had a bad time," I apologized as we pulled out of the parking lot.

"It got better…towards the end," he blushed. "It wasn't all bad."

"See," I smiled, "It's good to step outside the box."

We made it home and headed upstairs, both of us ready for some sleep.

"Bella?" he asked, when we stepped into the room.

"Yeah?" I smiled at him as I looked through my luggage for a fresh pair of pajamas. "What's on your mind, sweetie?"

"Uh…" he started, twiddling his thumbs, "Um…everyone in my family really likes you," he rushed, getting under the covers.

"Well…I really like them, too," I smiled.

I changed into my pajamas, thinking about what an awesome Christmas this was. It was easily the best one of my life. I was grateful Edward had asked me to come. I was proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and agreeing to come.

I walked out of the bedroom to find Edward on his side, resting his head on his fist, staring at the door.

"Hey," I said, climbing under the covers with him.

"Hmmm?" he said, turning over. He had taken out his contacts, and now his eyes had that glazed look. He looked cute…and tired.

"Thanks," I looked into his eyes. "In all my twenty years…this is honestly the best Christmas I've ever had," I told him.

"Same here," he said with those green eyes shining. "Merry Christmas, Bella," he kissed my forehead.

"Merry Christmas, Edward," I blushed, turning off the lamp on the bedside table.

Edward and I had kissed before. We'd made out before. Somehow, that forehead kiss seemed much more intimate than any mouth-to-mouth kiss we'd ever shared.

What was happening?

I went to sleep confused as Hell.

I must have been really tired from our trip to the club the night before, because I slept like the dead. I was in the middle of having a fuck-awesome dream about grinding on Edward…that was until some evil asshole decided to interrupt my beauty sleep with an attempt at Chinese water torture.

"Wake up, lovebirds," I heard someone say before water trickled onto my face.

"Ahhh…" I shielded my face as Edward groaned.

I looked over to see a confused Edward with a sleeping Snooki curled up on his chest. She must have come in here during the middle of the night.

She adored him.

"Victoria?" he asked, putting on his glasses and setting Snooki between us.

"Yep," she smiled, popping the 'p.'

"What are you…?" I started, trying to wake up. "Why?"

"I made quite an impression last night with my awesome partying skills," she gushed, eating some grapes. "Alice totally said I could stay here," she laughed, sitting on the foot of the bed. "Edward, your mom is awesome by the way," she nodded her head. "She's hot, too."

"Why are you so chipper?" I asked, getting up.

"You drank half your weight in alcohol," Edward pointed out. "You should be in a coma."

"Please," she rolled her eyes and giggled, "Hangovers are for pussies. I haven't had one since I was a junior in high school. My body is used to it."

"That's so sad," Edward shook his head. His hair was sticking up more than usual, thanks to bed head.

He was gorgeous.

"Your AA sponsor won't be pleased," I pointed out, trying to get my mind off of Edward.

"Who's going to tell him?" she raised an eyebrow, getting up. "Rise and shine, lovers," she patted the bed. "Esme said breakfast will be ready in forty-five minutes. Get ready," she finished before leaving.

"She's…spirited," Edward said.

"Yeah," I laughed, getting up. "I'm gonna go hop in the shower. I won't take too long," I promised, grabbing some clothes and going to get ready.

What was happening? What happened between arriving here and this morning? Why was I dreaming about Edward? Why were his eyes so green? Why was his hair that awesome color? Why was he so caring? Why did he smell so good? Why did I care?

I felt…something. I was not quite sure what it was. It was…unsettling.

I stepped out of the bathroom refreshed and started getting ready. I picked this preppy looking Gucci cardigan. It was black with a gold patch and white borders and stitching. It was not really my style, so I decided to badass it up a little. I put on a pair of black skinny jeans and some black high heels with gold studs and brackets on them. There was also this gold spiky necklace with diamonds I added for extra sparkle. It was a guilt gift my dad had gotten me when he missed my eighteenth birthday. I included a spiky bangle that doubled as a watch. I scrunched up the sleeves, put on a black and gold spiky belt, and I was ready to go.

"Alright," I stepped out, turning around, "I'm ready."

"Wow," Edward gasped, smiling. "You look pretty…nice…great," he rushed. "You look great," he repeated, blushing.

Why was he blushing?

"I'm going to wish the birthday girl a good day," I grabbed Snooki and walked downstairs.

"Good morning," I smiled and waved to everyone in the kitchen. Snooki barked her greeting.

"I like your outfit," Rose said, looking me over.

"Preppy grunge," Alice noticed. "That's a hard look to pull off."

"Thanks," I smiled, looking for Lexi. "Where's the birthday girl?"

"Here!" she yelled, running into my legs. "Today is my birthday!" she yelled, looking up at me.

"Happy birthday, honey," I smiled, bending down to hug her. "You're such a big girl."

"Uh-huh," she nodded her head. "I'm turning six today," she beamed, holding up six little fingers.

"That's an important birthday," I told her, ruffling her hair.

"What did you get me?" she asked, leaning closer.

"Nope," I shook my head, "It's a surprise. You'll have to wait," I said, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl.

Delicious.

"Humph," she pouted, picking Snooki up off the floor and petting her.

"Bella!" Megan ran to hug me, "Good morning."

"Good morning, sweetie," I hugged her back. "Did you guys enjoy Christmas yesterday?"

"Uh-huh," they smiled widely.

"I can't wait for my party," Lexi gushed.

"I can't, either," Megan smiled. "Lexi has the best parties."

"Who are you?" Lexi walked up to Victoria, who had come into the kitchen in a different outfit.

"Hello, little girl," Vic grinned at her. "My name is Victoria. What's your name?"

"Lexi."

"Megan."

"Today is my birthday!" Lexi beamed. "I'm having a party. You can come."

"Thank you," Vic nodded her head, still eating grapes.

"It's not until five o'clock, so you have plenty of time to get my gift," Lexi told her.

"Well…" Vic started.

"Look, lady," Lexi looked Victoria in her eye, "You're wearing Louboutin shoes, Gucci outfit…and you have a Prada purse," she pointed out. "Don't stiff me," she raised an eyebrow.

"I see," Vic cocked a brow and looked her in the eye in a stare-down. "I like you, kid," she finally smiled and patted her head.

"Hello, ladies," Esme and Carlisle entered the room. "How is everyone?"

"Good," we all replied.

"It's nice to have you with us, Victoria," Esme hugged her. "The more the merrier."

"Thanks for having me," Vic smiled.

"Oh," Esme waved her off, "It's no trouble." She turned to me, "I love how your friends are so well-mannered," she smiled, flipping over some bacon.

"Do you have any jewelry that matches this shirt?" Vic asked. "I left in such a hurry, I'm without accessories," she said, with a hint of shame. "Necklace? Bangles? Rings?"

She had on a green and gold blouse, jeans, and gold heels.

"All of the above," I smiled. "You know how I loooove gooold," I finished in my _Austin Powers Goldmember_ voice. "I'll be back."

It was true. I picked gold over silver or platinum any day. But that platinum and diamond bangle Edward had gotten me was quite stunning…it was just too expensive.

I walked upstairs to go back to the room. From what I saw, she needed a necklace and probably some…

"Oh, my God!" I yelled as I saw Edward walking around the room…with no towel…naked…as the day he was born.

"Shit!" he shrieked, covering his manhood.

It was too late, though. I saw it… _**all**_ of it…every last impressive inch.

"Uh…" I stood there staring, "_Wow_." I grabbed my jewelry case and ran out of the room.

Oh, my God. I saw Edward's penis. Oh, my God. I saw Edward's penis.

I was not prepared for _**that**_.

Whoa.

Shocked silent, I walked back into the kitchen, holding the case to my chest.

"What's wrong, Bella?" Carlisle asked.

"Nothing," I tried to smile.

I just saw your son's penis.

"Let's see," Vic opened the box. "Nice," she smiled looking through. She grabbed a gold necklace, and one of those rings that fit over two knuckles. "I feel whole again," she breathed, putting the pieces on. "What do you think?" she asked, motioning to her outfit.

"Uh…huh…" I nodded, on autopilot.

I just saw Edward's penis.

"What's with you?" she laughed at me, rifling through the box again. "Whoa," she gasped, looking at the bangle Edward had gotten me for Christmas. "What did daddy _not_ do to warrant such an extravagant piece of jewelry?" she asked.

"Edward…" had a penis, "gave it to me," I finished in a daze.

"What?" she asked, looking at the diamonds as they sparkled in the sunlight. "You. Me. Bathroom conference," she whispered, pulling me up from my chair and into a nearby bathroom. "Bella?" she asked, closing the door.

"Huh?" I asked…still on autopilot.

I saw Edward's penis. Edward's huge…

"Are you two fucking?" she shook me, pulling me out of my penis-induced haze. "Did you lose your V-card and not tell me?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"What?" I shook my head. "No."

"Then explain _this_," she shoved the bracelet in my face.

"Edward got it for me for Christmas," I told her.

"Bella," she deadpanned, "This is worth at least five thousand dollars," she shook the piece of jewelry. "You want me to believe you aren't putting out on some level?"

"Yeah," I nodded my head, "Nothing sexual."

"Bullshit," she shook her head. "I saw you two dry humping on the dance floor last night," she raised an eyebrow. "There's definitely something there."

"Victoria…"

"Honestly," she looked me in the eye, "There's nothing…_extra_…about your relationship with Edward?"

I looked her in the eye, and I couldn't lie. I would have been lying if I said there wasn't something I felt for him.

"There is something," I confided, sitting on the toilet seat.

"Like…?" she led on.

"Every time we touch, there's this…spark," I smiled, rubbing my hands together. "Literally _every_ time," I exaggerated.

"Oh," Vic waved her hands, "I know what that is."

I found myself a little disappointed. I thought it was special.

"It's your vagina, Bella," she smiled, grabbing my hands. "You and Edward claim that you're just friends. But you _aren't_," she shook me. "That shock…that spark…that's your body trying to override your head," she flicked my forehead.

"How do you…?"

"It's not one-sided," Vic giggled. "It's _**so**_ not one-sided."

"What?"

"I'm willing to bet my inheritance that Edward got a boner last night when you were dancing," she crossed her arms in a challenge.

"He doesn't see me that way," I shook my head.

"Maybe you're not the only one feeling that spark," she said, giving me something to think about.

"Whatever," I got up, reaching for the doorknob.

"Why were you all zombie-like when I dragged you in here?" she asked, blocking the door.

Oh…that.

Edward's penis.

Edward was hung like…

"Today," she snapped her fingers.

"When I went to get my jewelry chest…" I paused, feeling silly that I was embarrassed, "I saw Edward…naked."

"Really?" her eyes perked up. "So…?" she led.

"It's the biggest I've ever seen," I shrugged my shoulders, and she hugged me.

It was the only one I'd ever seen in person.

"Details," she sat me back down. "I'm so proud of you."

"It was an accident," I told her.

"There are _no_ accidents," she rolled her eyes. "Details," she started again. "Length. Width. Everything."

"I don't know," I shrugged my shoulders.

"You're not leaving until I'm satisfied," she said.

"I guess," I separated my hands in measurement, "This?" I hung my head, embarrassed.

"No way!" she shouted. "Was he hard?"

"I don't think so."

"You lucky bitch," she hugged me. "Edward is hung like a freaking horse! Who knew?"

I nodded my head. I hadn't seen a lot of peens, just in pictures. Edward's did look huge, though. I blushed at the memory.

Oh, God.

"It's not like we're ever going to…you know…" I led off.

"Never say never," she started to move from the door. "Could you imagine him hard?" she asked. "He'd probably fuck your liver."

"Victoria," I warned. I didn't like her talking about him like that. He was not like one of the guys she flocked to.

"Okay," her hands waved in surrender. "Fine...touchy," she smirked and we walked back into the kitchen.

"You're back," Esme smiled as we seated ourselves. "Brunch is ready."

I saw Edward then. He looked…weird.

"Hey," I smiled. He wouldn't look at me. "Edward?" He still wouldn't look at me.

"Hey," he said in a low voice. His eyes were focusing downward.

"Are you mad at me?" I whispered in his ear. He shook his head and put some bacon on his plate. "Edward?" I asked again. Still not looking.

"Are you okay, Son?" Carlisle asked Edward.

"Yeah," Edward smiled at his father and went back to making his plate.

He was mad at me. I didn't know why. It was an accident.

That was how our morning went. I kept talking to Edward. He'd answer in three words or less, and he refused to look at me…at all. I kicked his shin under the table. I pinched his thigh. Nothing worked. I didn't know what I'd done wrong. It really was an accident. Didn't he know I was just as embarrassed as he was? Eventually, the men went to go pick up the cake and occupy Lexi while the ladies stayed home and got everything ready for the party.

What was up?

"What was that?" Vic asked.

"No clue," I told her, going into the dining room.

"Sweetie," Esme whispered, grabbing my shoulder, "Did you and Edward have a fight?" she asked. "You two seemed distant this morning."

"It's nothing," I hoped. "We just had a misunderstanding."

"Oh, well, he'll get over it," she smiled. "When he gets in one of his moods, it's best to just leave him by himself."

"Okay," I nodded and opened a huge box that was filled with various crowns.

"Lexi wanted a princess theme this year," Alice said, lugging a huge box of pink and purple party stuff into the entryway. "We've been planning this for the past two months."

"Esme," Rose chimed in and pointed toward the door, "The moon bounce people are here to set up."

"This is Lexi's second party," Alice said, as I help her place princess crowns on the table. "We had one for her back home for her school friends. We throw her another one here because she has friends in the area. It gets out of hand…every year," she huffed, stepping back to look at the arrangement of crowns.

"She'll love it," I told her, sprinkling different colored jewels along the table to make it sparkle.

"Where do the balloons go?" Victoria asked, her voice sounded like she was high on helium.

"Tell the guys I want them all over the main room," Alice pointed to the ceiling. "I want this place to have a pinkish glow by the time it's finished."

"Okay," Vic squeaked, running away.

"Help me," Alice huffed, trying her hardest to push a gigantic pink and silver throne chair to the front of the table. It was hilarious…she was so tiny.

After we, and by "we" I meant Alice, myself, Rose, Esme, Victoria, and some man name Horace, got the throne by the table, we started unpacking individual scepters for all the girl guests.

"This is awesome," I smiled, looking at the wand that had Alexia's name engraved on it with crystals. It was gigantic.

Like Edward's penis.

Stop!

"She's been looking forward to it. I want it to be special," Alice gushed. "She loves spending her day here because the whole family gets to celebrate with her."

I looked around the huge dining room at how it had been transformed. There were several runs of sheer pink and purple fabrics covering the ceiling, with lights shining through them. It gave the room a lovely glow. On top of that, there were pink, white, purple, and clear balloons everywhere. The bigger ones floated to the top of the ceiling with the pieces of fabric. It was awesome.

"That's nice," I smiled.

"What was with Edward this morning?" Alice asked. "I haven't seen him that moody since he was with Tanya."

"There was a little mix-up," I waved it off. "He's overreacting."

"What happened?"

"I'd rather not say," I respectfully declined.

"The Denali's are coming," Alice gagged. "I hate them."

"Well…" I hedged. Heidi was _definitely_ a bitch.

"Don't be nice," Rose urged. "We all saw what happened last night at dinner between you, Heidi and Tanya. That was a serious fucking showdown."

"The only thing that was missing was some fucking tumbleweed," Alice laughed. "I'll hand it to you, though," she smirked, "You handled her like a pro. She didn't get the best of you."

I laughed at her statement. When you grew up with my mother, you quickly learned when someone was trying to get a rise out of you. The quickest way to get them back was to not say anything at all. It would make them go insane.

"You'd be surprised at how many 'Heidi's' I've dealt with," I sighed, starting to work on the goodie bags.

"You're such a better match for Edward," Rose nodded at me. "Last night…you actually made him _dance_," she furthered her point. "I'd never thought I'd ever see that happen."

"The only thing Tanya ever did was dance with other guys and make Edward buy her drinks. She was such a bitch. I'm glad that era of tyranny is over," Alice shook her head in disgust.

"Oh, my God," Victoria squealed as she walked inside, "The moon bounce and games look awesome!"

We all walked outside to see Esme putting the final touches on the backyard. Vic was right. It was spectacular. Lexi would flip her shit when she saw it. The princess moon bounce was purple and pink, with a gigantic silver crown on it. It even had an inflatable slide on the top. It was probably twenty feet high. There was also a Velcro wall, as well as what looked to be several carnival games, a cotton candy machine, popcorn machine, and a taffy puller.

"Wow," I gasped and hugged Alice, "It's…wonderful!"

"I hope she'll like it."

"She better," Esme wiped sweat from her forehead. "It costs a damn fortune."

"It looks like we're finished," Alice clapped. "Good job, ladies! Thanks!"

"You're welcome," I saluted, going upstairs.

"Shit," Victoria followed me. "I want a fucking princess party now," she collapsed on the bed.

"She deserves it," I smiled, looking through my luggage. "She's a good kid."

"This reminds me of your eighth birthday," Victoria gushed. "How baller was that?" she reminisced.

"Eh…" I shrugged my shoulders.

My eighth birthday had a carnival theme. Daddy got the Ringling Bros. to do a special showing for the guests at my party. I didn't even know half of the people there. It was more of a networking opportunity for people who wanted to speak with my dad.

"I hope Lexi likes my gift," Vic pulled me out of my memory. "Who am I kidding? She'll love it," she said as I heard the door open downstairs. Vic had gotten Lexi six hundred dollars, one hundred for each year, all in crisp one hundred dollar bills, wrapped in a big pink bow.

"We're back!" Emmett shouted.

I sighed and walked back downstairs. I hoped Edward was over it by now.

"Hey," I smiled and waved at him.

"Hi," he waved weakly and walked past me.

I guess not.

"Jasper took Lexi the other route to her room," Carlisle informed. "We want everything to be a surprise."

"Everyone should start arriving within the next fifteen minutes," Esme chimed in, looking over everything.

"You did wonderful," Carlisle congratulated us.

I nodded my head and then went looking for Edward. This needed to end. Now!

"Hey!" I shouted at him, standing in my best bitch pose. "What the fuck is up?" I asked, trying to lean myself into his line of vision. He kept moving.

"Not now, Bella," he left the room.

I was getting pissed off.

I stormed into the living room to cool off. I didn't want anyone to see me come unglued. Why was Edward acting like a whiny bitch? It was getting old. I heard guests coming into the house and praising the work we'd done. I sat in the living room and calmed down. I counted backwards from ten, and I was not…as mad. I wouldn't act mad at Lexi's party. Today was about her.

As soon as the last person left, though…it was on.

"Bella," Vic ran into the room. She had on a giant tiara, and I just stared at her. "What? Don't look at me like that. Every girl has one," she threw one at me.

"What?" I asked, putting the crown on my head.

"Some fat blonde bitch is hanging all over your man," she pulled me up. "I say we kick her ass."

I walked amongst a hundred or so little kids to see Tanya…in a tight red dress…a low-cut tight red dress…talking a little too close to Edward.

"What the Hell?" I asked, looking at Vic.

"I know, right?" she nodded her head. "Slutanya's in the house. Look at her tacky-ass dress."

Victoria had the same dress in green.

"The dress I own actually fits me," Vic huffed, reading my mind. "Plus, I'd never wear that to a kid's party," she scowled. "I'm not that big of a whore."

Vic was right. Tanya looked fat in that dress. I smiled at the sight. No one told her? She must be a huge bitch to have been skipped on that memo. I'd never let Vic walk out of the house looking like that, and I knew damn well she'd return the favor. That just went against girlfriend code or some shit.

Hello, Michelin Man.

"Hey, guys," I smiled, walking into the room.

"Where have you been?" Emmett asked, looking at his watch. "We thought you'd miss the big entrance."

"I've been around," I excused. "I wouldn't miss Lexi," I laughed, sitting next to Edward…between him and Tanya.

Back off, bitch.

"I like your outfit, Becca," she complimented. "It's very…plain…almost chic," she grinned.

Were we still playing this game? We both knew damn well that she knew my name was Bella, _**not**_ Becca. So, I'd keep calling her Tawny until she realized that I knew what she was doing. Tawny fit her better anyway, since it sounded like a hooker's name. Someone was going to cave eventually. It wouldn't be me. It didn't escape me that she'd called me plain, either.

Passive aggressive much?

"Thanks, Tawny," I smiled as her grin deflated. "I love your outfit as well…that you're wearing to a _child's_ birthday party…that's filled with _impressionable_ little girls…and such…_classy_ attendees," I smirked. "You really look the part," I grinned, raising an eyebrow.

Did Carlisle just laugh?

"Well…Daddy always told me that I was a princess," she smiled at her father. "Edward treated me like a princess," she poked Edward's cheek. "Buying me gifts upon gifts upon gifts," she dragged on. "He loved to give me what I wanted."

"That's Edward," Heidi smiled, pointing at Edward. "He's such a giver."

"That's nice," I nodded my head. "I'm not really into gifts, though. Edward can tell you that," I rested my head on his shoulder. "I'd much rather give to charity," I said. "I hate it when someone spends money on me that could be used to make someone's life who is less fortunate a little easier. It makes me feel so guilty," I ended, putting a hand over my heart.

Selfish bitch.

"Really?" Esme entered the conversation. "What charities are you involved in?"

"There's this lovely foundation called _Loose Change to Loosen Chains_," I started. "It's basically asking everyone you meet to donate a portion or all of the loose change in their pockets to charity. The proceeds go to help stop child slavery in third world countries. You'd be surprised at how much we raise annually."

"That's amazing," Carlisle smiled. "Where is it?"

"I've never of it," Heidi interjected.

"It's located on some eastern college campuses. We're trying to go national."

"That's lovely, dear," Esme nodded her head smiling.

"Yeah, I'd much rather Edward donated to that than buy me any presents," I said. "Now, of course, he does like to surprise me…like he did last night with my bracelet," I grinned. "But, I admire him all the more that he helps."

"What did he get you?" Tanya asked, leaning forward. "He got me this necklace last year," she stuck out her chest, showing a diamond pendant.

"This," Victoria showed the bangle to a distraught Heidi. "Isn't it gorgeous? Edward is such a catch. Who'd let him get away?" she asked, looking at Tanya. "Oh," she sighed, handing the bangle to me.

"It's okay," Tanya and Heidi sneered as the announcer started to present.

"And now…I'd like to present to you…Princess Alexia Whitlock!" he shouted, and we all started to cheer.

"Aw…" all the ladies cooed when Lexi walked out in her princess dress. It was two-tiered, and the under tier came down to her ankles. It had a puffy skirt, and the crinoline was exposed a little. It was white satin with a jewel-trimmed bodice, and the crinoline was pink and purple. The under tier could be slipped off later when she was ready to play. Her shoes were pink and extremely sparkly. She had on a huge crown, and her hair was curled into a high pile of golden ringlets on her head. She was holding Snooki, who had on a doggie-sized crown.

The kicker was Jasper in a Prince Charming costume, walking with her down the stairs.

Adorable!

Ahhh…to be so young and still believe in fairytales.

"It's perfect!" Lexi shouted, looking all over the house. "Thank you! Thank you!" she beamed, hugging all the ladies who had helped put it together.

"You're welcome," I kissed her on the cheek. "You're the prettiest princess ever," I told her.

I was not going to lie. The party was bangin' fun. Victoria had a little bit more fun than an adult should have had. She played in the bounce house, the Velcro wall, and the apple bob. All the little kids kept getting mad because she kept winning all the games.

I couldn't have fun because Edward was mad at me. I was trying to fix it. However, he was still in his avoiding phase.

"Who invited you?" I heard Emmett sneer at someone at the door.

James?

"Is Victoria here?" he asked from the entryway. "I want to talk to her. She's not at her hotel. I thought she'd be here," he said. "I brought a gift," he held it up.

"I'll take that," Emmett took the box from him.

"I'm not here," Victoria walked past the door, eating a caramel apple. She didn't even look at James.

What was going on there?

"You heard her," Emmett smiled, shutting the door in James' face.

"Later," I told Vic. She rolled her eyes.

Another four hours passed by, and Edward had yet to lift his ban on talking to me. After we ate the huge crown-shaped cake, the guests started to leave…except the Denali's.

"It's been good seeing you again," Tanya smiled what looked like she was trying to pull off as sexily, at Edward. "I look forward to hooking up with you later," she glanced at me, "to see what's been going on with you."

Oh, no, she didn't!

"I wouldn't count on it," I deadpanned, walking them to the door. "Tell Riley I said hi," I sneered, reminding her that she had a boyfriend before I shut the door.

"Bitch!" Vic and I said in unison.

"Whoa," Esme fell on the couch, "I'm beat."

"Let's get started on cleanup tomorrow," Carlisle suggested.

"Are you excited for the Ladies Luncheon tomorrow?" Alice asked.

Luncheon? What luncheon? Edward didn't mention any luncheon.

"Yeah," I smiled.

"It'll be great," she clapped. "Vic, you're coming, right?"

"Of course," my best friend smiled awkwardly.

We hated high society bullshit.

"I'm tired," Jasper walked into the room, holding a passed-out Lexi, who was still holding her scepter, and her crown was still pinned in her hair.

Precious!

"Let's go to bed," Emmett yawned, before throwing Megan over his shoulder and running upstairs with Rose behind him.

"Cheers to that," Esme said.

Within fifteen minutes, everyone was in their rooms…Edward and I included.

Answers. Now.

"Edward," I stood in front of him. "Goddamn it. Look at me!"

"Bella," he huffed, looking above my head.

"Look at me!"

Nothing.

He'd left me no choice…

"LOOK AT ME!" I shouted, punching him in the chest. Hard.

"Ouch!" he yelled, gasping for air. "What?" he finally looked me in the eye.

Was that so hard?

"Now that I have your attention," I smiled, "Why have you been avoiding me…all day?"

"You know why," he sighed, looking down. "Ouch!" he yelled when I punched him again.

"I'll hit you every time you look away from me," I told him. "No, I don't know why."

"You saw my…" he stammered, "My…"

"Penis," I finished for him.

"Yeah," he sighed. I cocked my fist back to hit him and he stared me in the eye.

"Why are you mad at me?" I asked. "It was an accident."

"I'm not mad at you."

"Then why have you been avoiding me?" I was confused.

"It's just…I'm not used to girls…looking…" he slumped down on the bed and looked away. I punched him again. "Ouch!" he rubbed his chest. "The only women to ever see my penis have been my mother and Tanya," he blurted out. "Well…and almost that crazy girl from the coffee shop…but just those two," he put up two fingers. "It's just…weird, I guess," he admitted.

Now, we had it.

"You don't have to be weird around me," I looked in his eyes. "We're still friends."

"Yeah," he rolled his eyes, pinching his nose, "Friends...right."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

I didn't know if I should have been offended or not.

"Friends don't see other friend's genitals, Bella," he huffed. "It's weird. Face it."

"Only if you make it weird," I argued.

"Can we talk about this tomorrow?" he begged. "I need to go to sleep."

"Fine," I huffed, grabbing some silk pajamas and going into the bathroom to change.

It was an accident. Why was he so hung up about it? It was not like he had anything to be ashamed of…quite the contrary. He had to know he was hung. Right?

"Edward?" I asked shyly, stepping out of the bathroom.

"What?" he asked, hopping under the covers.

"You know you don't have anything to be embarrassed about, right?" I asked. "You have a very impressive…package…"

"Oh, God," Edward plugged his ears with his fingers, "Stop!"

"Fine," I gave up, getting in bed.

I didn't get what was so weird about it. If he…

"Edward, close your eyes," I smiled, thinking I'd come up with a way to fix this.

"Bella…"

"Just do it, Edward," I rolled my eyes.

"Fine," he huffed, and I saw him shut his eyes.

I couldn't believe I was going to do this.

"Don't move," I straddled his hips.

"What are you…?"

"No peeking," I smacked his chest. "No moving, either," I reminded him.

_Okay, Bella, you can do this._

There was only one thing to do. I had to even the playing field. I took off my silk cami, leaving me in just my tiny silk pajama shorts. I took a deep breath as I felt a gust of cold air blow across my bare breasts, and my nipples tightened immediately. Suddenly, I felt nervous. So far, I'd been the only person to see me naked in any way since adulthood. I was a little self-conscious. I looked down at the ladies to give them an inspection. They were okay, I guess. Vic always said I had a nice-looking, generous rack, but how would I know? I wondered what he'd think.

_Okay, ladies, look alive._

"Alright," I whispered, grabbing his hands and pinning them to my hips. I didn't want him to cover his eyes trying to be noble. "Open," I ordered.

"I don't see why you…Oh, my God!" he gasped, shutting his eyes again. Great.

"Edward," I gripped his hands. He was trying to yank them out of my reach. "It's the only way," I told him. "I don't want you to be embarrassed."

"Bella," he breathed out hard.

"Edward," I said his name, softly whispering, "It's okay, you can look."

I _**wanted**_ him to look. A part of me wanted to know what he thought.

His hands stopped moving, and my breath hitched as I saw him start to open his eyes.

"Okay," he opened them, looking me in my eyes first. I winked at him, trying to hide my nerves.

His eyes traveled slowly downward, from my eyes, to my nose, lingering on my lips, and they widened at my neck. I saw him pay attention to the small mole I had on my clavicle. I always thought it was kind of cute. I grabbed his hands, knowing what his path of vision would lead him to next. Then, I felt it. I sensed his gaze, and I held his hands tighter. Except this time, it was to keep me from covering myself. Was he disappointed? Was he judging them? Their size? Their shape? The color of my nipples? At that moment, I realized why Edward was so weird earlier. I sensed a hint of crimson flooding my skin, as my blush took over. He'd been looking for a long time.

Then, I thought about Tanya. Hers were even bigger than mine. Judging by the shape of them, though, I'd bet they were probably fake. But they were bigger. Was he comparing mine to hers?

"Whoa," I heard him whisper.

"I know they're not as big as…hers…" I muttered, stammering, "But they're real…"

"Beautiful," he whispered again, as I then felt his thumbs rubbing patterns on my hips.

As his fingers moved, I felt that tell-tale spark again. It was stronger…a lot stronger. So strong that I could have sworn I saw Edward's hand move.

Many things flew through my mind. What was he thinking about? But most importantly…why hadn't I moved to cover myself yet?

Edward must have been staring for a good minute, way past the amount of time I'd seen him naked. Yet, I didn't feel exposed…or nervous. I kind of liked the fact that I held his gaze. I felt my blush returning. Then the spark ignited again.

Then, I thought about what Victoria had said.

_That shock…that spark…that's your body trying to override your head._

Could she have been right? Was my body trying to tell me something my head wasn't acknowledging? The thought itself both excited and terrified me. I had to find out.

I release his hands, moving my hands to his chest, giving him more range. I decided to let him lead…if it went anywhere.

"Uh…" he breathed, as his patterns widened, leaving a burn in their wake. "Uh…" he repeated, as his palms grazed my naked back.

I didn't know what came over me next.

"Kiss me, Edward," I demand, looking into his eyes.

"Mhmm," he moaned, as his hands threaded themselves through my hair, and his lips attached themselves to mine.

This time it was real. No audience. His lips were urgently moving against mine, my tongue eagerly massaging his at the first opportunity, teeth nibbling on lips, hands pulling hair…moans...grunts. It was all real.

I hadn't noticed our hips grinding against each other until I felt a hard bulge between my legs. A huge…ginormous…bulge between my legs. I knew what it was. I expected to feel awkward. Weird even. I didn't. I felt powerful. I felt sexy. I smiled against his lips, loving every second of it.

"Bella," he groaned against my lips.

"Hmmm?" I moaned in reply.

Suddenly, the bedroom door flew open. "Hey, mom told me to give you guys some…oh, fuck!" I heard Emmett shout.

"Oh, God!" I cried, covering my chest.

"Emmett!" Edward yelled, hugging my chest close to his.

"S-Sorry!" Emmett stammered, throwing some towels into the room before storming off down the hall.

"Oh, God," I shook my head, "Emmett saw my boobs."

"No, he didn't," Edward consoled me. "Your back was facing the door."

"Are you sure?" I asked him.

"Yeah," he smiled, putting a rogue strand of hair behind my ear. "Me, on the other hand…" he smirked.

"Shut up," I slapped his hand. I forgot I was topless until I saw him staring at my jiggling tits.

We sat there in silence, giggling and staring at each other…completely clueless on how to proceed.

"Bella?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

He hugged my chest close to him and kissed me. "Thanks."

I smiled, "My pleasure. Goodnight, Edward."

**There you have it! All you guys had to do was be patient. Things will start to heat up between our fave couple from now on. Pics of outfits are on the profile as usual. I made this longer than normal because I'm going to be packed with things to do for the next three weeks or so. I might not get to update. I hope this will tide you over. **


	11. Chapter 11

**EMOTIONAL WARFARE**

**Hey guys! Thanks for all of the awesome reviews. It made my soul smile. Dollybigmomma beta'd it pretty.**

**Disclaimers: I don't own Twilight or any Stephanie Meyer work. **

**Chapter 11**

**EDWARD**

Oh, my God.

I saw Bella's breasts.

Bella let me see her breasts.

I sat in bed staring, trying to figure out what had happened.

I saw Bella's breasts…and they were _**wonderful**_…which was why I was still staring at them… at nine o'clock in the morning.

She was asleep. I didn't want it to be awkward.

When Bella saw my…penis…I was horrified. I mean, who wouldn't be? I assumed that a normal man my age would have been used to women seeing his penis. Well…at least he wouldn't feel awkward about it. It was just that I was not that experienced sexually. Probably nowhere near as experienced as Bella. She was so beautiful. I would bet she had guys lined up for a shot at her.

I'd only had two women see me naked. One of them was my mother, so she didn't count. The only other had only been Tanya. Obviously, I wasn't good enough if she dumped me. The few times I'd had sex with her had been sporadic at best, and usually quick. As soon as I saw Bella's eyes take in my naked form, I found myself full of insecurities. I didn't want to face her.

What did she think?

Did she think I was small?

Was it shaped funny?

For some reason, I couldn't get past it. She'd seen my penis for crying out loud!

I knew she'd try to move past it quickly, probably making some joke in an attempt to lighten the mood, but I had NO idea she would resort to showing me her breasts.

Her full breasts.

Her perky breasts.

Her perfect breasts.

Her creamy alabaster skin…her pert pink nipples…their fullness, I'd never seen anything so beautiful. I briefly wondered how they'd feel in my hands, or how her nipples would feel between my fingers, or better yet, my lips. From the size of her generous mounds, I'd bet they would have fit perfectly in my large hands. Then, I felt a twinge of guilt for the thought. Before the guilt had time to marinate in my brain, though, the thought of her luscious plump lips against mine forced my former thoughts away.

I'd gotten the better end of the deal. Definitely.

Bella was an amazing kisser. That much I knew, as a result of the kisses we had displayed to my family. The one last night…that was different. It was just…us. Bella and I had to have kissed a hundred times. But last night was the first real kiss. It was a kiss, not to keep up appearances, but to actually kiss.

I loved every second of it.

Her hands in my hair, her bare chest breathing against mine, the taste of her tongue as it intertwined with mine, it was all sensory overload, and her hips…dear God, her hips. The way she ground her hips against mine in perfect synch…pushing…pulling…grinding…

"Oh, God," I whispered as Bella arched her back in a subconscious yawn, thrusting her bare breasts into the air.

I was hard.

Not again.

"Shit," I hissed as Bella turned around to situate herself on her pillow, snuggling into the mattress, and her tits jiggled with the movement.

"Mmmm," she moaned, rubbing her cute button nose and her eyes, situating herself again.

Jiggle.

"No," I whispered, as I felt myself getting harder.

She couldn't see me like this.

I jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. I needed to get control over myself.

"Stop!" I hissed at my cock. Nothing. "Bella can't see you…like this," I added. "Calm down."

This wasn't the first time Edward Jr. had betrayed my trust this week. Last night, when Bella and I were dancing, he'd gotten a little carried away. I hoped I hadn't hurt Bella's feelings when I pushed her away. Then, there was last night when we were…doing whatever it was we were doing. Her seeing my penis was one thing. Her seeing me hard was another thing completely.

Well…I was pretty sure she'd felt it last night. She didn't seem too freaked out about it. We were in the heat of a moment, though.

A hot moment.

That was different. It would have been weird if she saw me like this now.

Wouldn't it?

I was so confused.

"Okay," I breathed in and out. Still hard. "You're going to make this very awkward if Bella sees you," I warned.

Time to bring out the big guns…

Mom and dad kissing.

Heidi and Alec kissing.

Mom and dad dry humping.

That did it.

"Fine," I smiled, stepping out to see Victoria and Bella whispering on the bed.

"Hey, Edward," Victoria waved, as Snooki jumped off the bed and ran to me.

"Hey, sweetie," I cooed at the dog, rubbing behind her ears.

"I don't get it," Vic shook her head. "That dog terrorizes most people she meets."

"But she loves Edward," Bella blushed, as the dog licked my face.

"I just wanted to check on you guys," Victoria got up. "I'll leave you two…lovebirds…to do…whatever," she raised an eyebrow and left the room.

"Uh…" Bella blushed, holding the covers to her chest, "Hi."

"Hi," I blushed in return, waving.

"So…"

"Yeah," I nodded my head.

"No weirdness," she pointed at me after a span of silence and then smiled, "Okay?"

"Okay," I nodded.

"Deal," she held her fist out for a pound. I accepted.

"Edward? Bella?" I heard mom ask, knocking on the door. "Are you decent?"

"Yeah," we answered.

It was good that some people in this house knocked.

Fucking Emmett.

"Good," she said, walking into the room. "We're about to started making brunch. Edward, the boys are playing a little morning basketball," she informed.

I rolled my eyes. I was not athletic. At all. I hated playing sports. Normally, I declined. But since I hadn't talked to my dad, brother, and best friend in a long time, I smiled and headed into the shower to get ready.

_Don't think about Bella._

_Don't think about Bella. _

I repeated the mantra in my head, over and over, as I showered. I took no extra time in the bathroom, quickly washing my hair and body, careful not to touch anything too long. After putting on some sweatpants and a thermal, I headed out to find everyone.

"Looking good, Skywalker," Bella nodded her head in appreciation.

"I know it," I smiled and she threw a pillow at me.

"After I get finished, I'm going to go help Esme and the ladies with brunch," she announced, grabbing some clothes. "Have fun with the guys," she waved before closing the door.

I put on some tennis shoes, and then walked down to the indoor gym and basketball court. I saw Emmett smirking at me as he walked over.

Here we go…

"Hey, Bro," he smiled, putting an arm around me.

"Hey, Em," I huffed, walking to the goal.

"Dude," he stopped walking. "I'm _so_ sorry for last night," he apologized. "I had no idea…"

"It's okay," I waved it off. I just wanted him to stop talking. "You didn't see Bella's…did you?"

I'd only told Bella that Emmett didn't see anything to make her feel better. I had no idea if he saw Bella's boobs or not.

"No," he shook his head. "I just saw her riding you like your name was Harley Davidson," he chuckled, patting me on the back. "I saw her back."

"Oh, God," I face-palmed myself.

He thought he'd caught us having sex.

"Seriously, Eddie, you've got yourself a wild one. I know. Rose is such a…"

"Emmett!" I interrupted him.

"Sorry," he paused. "It's just that…I can't believe my brother is finally getting laid for real," he looked off into the distance, smiling. "I mean…I figured you and Tartya were doing it…but I hated the thought of that harpy touching you," he shook in disgust.

"Stop!" I plugged my ears.

"Emmett," dad came over, "Stop teasing your brother."

"I'm not doing anything!" Em huffed.

"What?" Jasper came over, confused. He always came in during the last part of the conversation and had no clue what was going on.

"Nothing."

"I caught Bella and Edward doing it last night," Emmett rolled his eyes. "Eddie here is embarrassed."

"Oh," dad nodded, "That happens to the best of us."

"Don't remind me," I groaned. I still hadn't recovered from when I'd caught my parents having sex…in the kitchen…food was involved.

Brain bleach!

"Lexi caught me and Alice one time," Jasper sighed. "We told her we were having a meeting."

"That's the worst lie ever," Emmett laughed. "We just told Megan that we're having mommy-daddy time and she has to stay in her room…and not call the police if she hears screaming," he added. "Once the police get involved, it gets weird."

"Can we stop talking?" I begged.

"Fine," Emmett rolled his eyes. "Let me say, lastly, that I can sleep better at night knowing you're being…taken care of…by a girl like Bella. She's a good fit for you."

"Thanks," I smiled. "I think so, too," I took the ball and shot it. To my surprise…really everyone's surprise…it went in.

"It looks like getting laid made you a better shot," Jasper chided, causing everyone to laugh.

As the game started, it was me and dad against Jasper and Emmett.

"Your mother is excited about the luncheon today," dad made small talk, going in for a layup. "She can't wait to show Bella off to the rest of the ladies."

I'd completely forgotten to tell Bella about the luncheon. Mom helped to plan it every year. It didn't cross my mind because it was a female-only event. The men were usually nearby getting drunk and/or playing golf. From what I gathered when it was mentioned to Bella, she didn't look too excited about going. I didn't think high society events appealed to her.

"She's a little nervous," I lied. "She knows it's kind of a big deal."

"She'll do fine," Jasper said, taking the ball from me, "as long as she can handle Heidi."

"I must admit," Emmett cut in, as Jasper passed the ball to him, "It's been very entertaining to see Heidi and Tanya go at it against Bella."

It was true. I'd noticed that Heidi had been particularly hostile against Bella whenever she'd talked to her. I thought back to what dad had said at Christmas and let it go.

"Bella can handle herself," I said, knowing it was true. "Heidi doesn't get to her."

"That…in itself…is rare," Jasper pointed out, shooting a basket.

"Gentlemen," I heard Bella enter the gym. She was holding Lexi and Megan's hands. She had on a light brown leather jacket with zippers on it, with a white sweater, khakis, and white and pink flats. She looked pretty. "Esme wants you guys to get cleaned up. Brunch is almost ready."

"We're almost done," Emmett said, taking a shot and missing.

"Grandma Esme said she wants everyone to have a clean butt before the muffins get out of the oven," Megan told her father.

"You guys finish cooking," Emmett joked. "Let the men have their fun."

I saw Bella raise her eyebrow, and I knew she had something to say.

"Wow, Em," she smiled, picking up the basketball, "You sounded a little sexist then," she informed, passing the ball from one hand to another.

"No harm intended," he reached for the ball. Bella bounced it between her legs. "Come on, Bella," he reached for the ball. She bounced it between her legs and moved to the side. "Give me the ball."

"Take the ball, Emmett," Bella challenged, bouncing it between her legs again before driving down the court.

"Fine," he started guarding her, trying to take the ball back.

"Seriously?" she asked, bouncing the ball between his legs, running to catch it on the other side.

"Go, Bella!" Lexi and Megan started cheering. "Go!"

"This isn't funny," Em started laughing.

"Oh," Bella giggled, dribbling the ball behind her back, "I think it is," she smiled, pushing him further back to get closer to the goal.

"Come on, Bella!" my nieces cheered, laughing.

Emmett continued swatting at the ball, trying to take it from Bella, as she moved further and further towards the goal. I could tell she was trying to get a clear shot. Em's arms were too long and she couldn't get past him.

"Heads us," she smiled, and then passed the ball to Megan. "Go, girls! Go!" she shouted.

Megan ran with the ball, not even trying to dribble it. Bella ran behind them, Emmett on their tails. Megan passed it to Lexi, who passed it back to Bella, and she shot a perfect layup.

"Yay!" Lexi and Megan shouted in victory. "We won! We won!"

"Yes!" Bella shouted, raising her arms in the air. "Two points for Team Ovaries!"

"Oooooh," Jasper teased Emmett as he laughed.

"Shut up," Em grinned, shaking his head.

"Brunch should be ready in ten minutes," Bella said, pointing at us. "I don't want Esme mad at me. Please wash up," she pouted, hugging the basketball.

"_Fine_," we all griped.

"Thanks," she shot from the free-throw line and made the basket. "See you," she waved, taking the girls back upstairs.

"Wow," Jasper looked at me.

"If you let her get away, you're a fucking idiot," Em patted me on the back and took the stairs to go get cleaned up.

"Son," dad whispered, following Jasper and Em, "She'll make a great mother one day," he smiled and went upstairs.

Huh?

After I washed and changed clothes, I arrived just in time to eat. Everyone was sitting down, and Alice was gushing to Bella and Victoria about the luncheon.

"You guys are going to love the luncheon," Alice said. "It's one of the biggest events of the year. Mom has gone all out this year," she bragged on our mom.

"I try," mom added, waving it off and blushed. "Hopefully, we'll have a good turnout."

"It's always the best," my sister praised. "It's charity work. It's gossip. It's fashion. It's fabulous. What's not to love?" she asked, sipping from her orange juice.

"Gossip?" Victoria asked, rubbing her hands together. "I'm in."

"What kind of hat are you wearing?" Alice asked.

"Hat?" Bella and Victoria asked in unison.

"You don't have a hat?" mom asked, worried.

Shit. Every woman at the luncheon always acquired the biggest, most extravagant hat they could find and wore it for all to see. Some of the one's I'd seen were positively insane. I didn't know who had started that stupid tradition, but it had become a competition over the years.

"That's the calling card of the luncheon," Alice informed. "You have to have a fabulous dress and hat."

"Megan and Lexi even have hats!" Rose included.

"Uh…" Bella started.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," I kissed Bella's forehead. "I forgot to tell Bella about the hats. She doesn't have one," I told mom.

"Oh, God!" Alice shrieked.

"I'm pretty sure I'll be fine…"

"No," Alice shoved the rest of her bagel into her mouth and jumped up from the table. "The luncheon is at two o'clock. Its eleven o'clock now. We only have three hours. Emergency shopping trip, now!" she yelled, grabbing Bella and Victoria by their hands and leaving the table. I didn't miss the look Bella gave me as Alice tugged her out of the room.

I was in trouble.

"Yay!" Megan and Lexi shouted, following Alice.

"Mom! Rose!" my sister called.

"Oh shit," mom sighed. "I need to change my shoes," she said, following her out of the room.

Within twenty minutes, all of the girls were packed in mom's Range Rover and speeding to the nearest high-end millinery.

"Whose car is that?" Em asked, pointing to Cheetah.

"It's Bella's," I admitted.

"Wow," Jasper breathed. "What kind is it? I haven't seen it before."

"I don't know," I said. "Bella doesn't, either."

"Awesome," Em and Jazz said in unison, as dad gathered our attention.

"Golf?" he asked. "Alec just called. The ladies will be at the club, anyway. It'd be a good way to pass time," he explained.

"Sure," I agreed.

We went golfing every year during the luncheon. It was not really a spur-of-the-moment thing. I went upstairs to change…again…into golfing gear. I took my golf clubs out of the closet, and we took dad's Mercedes to the Coral Gables Country Club.

"We meet again," Jasper said, walking through the door.

On the outside, the Coral Gables Country Club looked like a centuries-old estate, complete with ivy crawling up the sides and immaculate craftsmanship. On the inside, there was just about any and every degree of excess a person could imagine. There was gold moldings and crowning on the ceilings, marble floors, and Tiffany and crystal chandeliers. There was even a gold gilded toilet in the bathroom. It was a little disgusting the kinds of things people could spend money on. The only reason why we even joined was because it was the only one for miles. Mom and dad only made an appearance for important events like the luncheon.

"Hello, boys," Alec greeted, taking off his golfing gloves to shake our hands. "How are we?"

"Okay," we all shrugged our shoulders.

"You guys remember Riley," he said, as Tanya's new boyfriend walked up and waved at us.

"What's up?" he asked, giving a head nod.

"Nothing," I said.

"You're Tanya's ex-boyfriend, right?" he asked. I nodded my head. "Oh," he laughed a little and shook his head. What the Hell was that all about?

"They're ready for us on the course," dad said.

"I call the golf cart that looks like a Bentley!" Em yelled, racing us outside to get there first. There were two carts. One looked like a Mercedes. The other one looked like a Bentley. Emmett called the same one every year.

The carts could only seat four in one car. Two were left out. Guess who I got stuck with?

"So…" Riley started, looking through his iPhone, "You aren't like mad or anything, right?"

"No."

"Cool," he nodded his head, as I then heard music start to play from his phone. "I was like kind of bummed when Tanya told me I'd have to be golfing all fucking day…especially with the guy she dumped. Can you said awkward?" he said, making some sort of weird hand gesture. The guy was a moron.

She thought this guy was an improvement from me?

I was not sure how I felt about that.

"Mhmm," I sighed, looking ahead. Jasper was looking at me from the cart in front of me and shaking his head.

"I mean…if I had to be in the same arena as a guy who was fucking my ex-girlfriend, I'd be fucking pissed. Ya know?" he bobbed his head. "Having to think about that? Ugh," he shivered.

To be honest, I had forgotten Riley was even here. I'd been having a fantastic time hanging out with Bella and my family. I'd been looking past everything else.

Bella.

How was she doing?

Was she okay?

I knew Alice could shop on an Olympic-sized level. The ten-hour shopping spree she'd gone on for her sixteenth birthday would forever be remembered by dad's accountant. It was brutal…and expensive. Personally, I couldn't last an hour with her when she was in buy mode.

Hopefully, Bella wouldn't have an outburst. Maybe Victoria could rein her in…or she'd instigate. I didn't know about her. She was more Bella's friend than mine.

"Right, man?" Riley laughed obnoxiously, pushing my shoulder.

"Huh?" I asked. I hadn't heard what he'd said.

"You know?" he led on. "You don't seem like you're hurting too badly in the girl department. Becca?" he chuckled. "She's fucking hot, dude, a real beauty. She's petite, but she's seriously stacked," he said, making obscene gestures with his hands.

"Her name is _**Bella**_," I corrected him.

What was with the Denali's? They couldn't get Bella's name right to save their lives. Personally, I thought Bella said Tanya's name wrong on purpose. That was why I hadn't corrected her.

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes. "Hey, are her tits real? They're fucking awesome, they look so…"

Whoa. He was talking about her tits. That was not acceptable. Who did he think he was?

MINE!

Where did that come from?

"Stop!" I hissed, stopping our cart behind the other cart with the rest of the group. "Don't talk like that about _**Bella**_**,**" I growled, stepping out of the cart.

Bella wasn't here to defend herself. I wasn't going to let anyone objectify her. She would have gone ape-shit on Riley if she were here. I laughed at the thought of her punching him in the chest. Then, I rubbed my chest because honestly, I was a little sore from her hitting me yesterday.

"It's all cool," he shrugged, following me to the first hole.

Asshole.

"Sorry," Emmett whispered, standing next to me. "I have no idea how you guys got stuck together."

"It's fine," I said, as my phone started to ring. "It's Bella," I announced, walking away to talk to her.

"Hey," I smiled, like she could see me. "How's it going?"

"Terrible," she whispered. "Why didn't you tell me Alice was possessed by a shopping demon?"

"Sorry," I apologized. "I didn't think you'd be forced to experience it. This time is mostly for family."

"All of this for a hat?" she asked. "I wish I'd known about that…"

"Sorry."

"I have a shit ton of awesome hats. I would've killed that. Now, Victoria and Alice are teamed up. It's horrible. Victoria is worse than Alice."

"I doubt that," I argued.

"We've only been here an hour and a half. Victoria has already spent fifteen thousand dollars."

"Damn."

"Exactly," she huffed. "I'm trying to keep my cool. I wanted to talk to you," she informed. I grinned, liking that she wanted to talk. "How are you?"

"Surviving," I looked at the rest of the group. "The guys and I are golfing at the club," I told her.

"Oh, a guy's day."

"Alec and Riley are here."

"Fuck," she sympathized. "That must be awkward for you."

"Eh, it's not as bad as I thought it'd be."

"That's good," she said. "I can't wait to get this luncheon over with. I'm not into high society stuff."

"I figured that," I laughed at how my earlier guess was correct. "It means a lot to my mom that you're going. She likes you."

"What's not to like?" she asked, chuckling.

"Not much…besides your wigs," I joked. She laughed.

"Because of that, I'm going to buy a wig while I'm out," she warned.

"We agreed, no wigs," I pointed out, wiping off my glasses.

"We agreed that I wouldn't _wear_ them," she added. "You said nothing that prohibits me _buying_ them," she laughed.

Shit.

"Loophole," I rolled my eyes. "Are you sure you shouldn't be pre-law?"

"I took a class," she huffed. "It was too stiff. I'm more of a free spirit."

"That you are," I said, as I felt a golf ball hit my ass. "Ouch!"

"What?" Bella asked concerned.

"Emmett hit me with a golf ball," I griped.

"Get off the phone," my brother ordered, "Bros before hoes."

"I heard that," Bella said into the phone. "I should get back. Alice thinks I'm going to the bathroom. I've been hiding in the clothes racks for the past twenty minutes."

"Good luck."

"Thanks, I'll need it."

"Bye, sweetie," I smiled.

"Bye, lover," she replied. "Oh…" she led off.

"What?"

"Vader!" she yelled before hanging up the phone.

Damn. She got me.

"You're up," Jasper yelled, tossing another golf ball at me.

"Fine," I stepped up.

"Who was that?" Alec asked.

"Bella," I answered, hitting the ball.

"Oh," he nodded his head. "She's a fine girl. A _very_ _fine_ girl," he smiled. It was somewhat…dare I say…sinister? "Don't tell Heidi I said that!" he grinned before he and Riley started laughing.

Tools.

I lined up my second shot, as I heard an unexpected voice shout my name.

"CULLEN!" I heard James yell from down the course, as his cart drove towards me.

"What the Hell?" dad whispered in question.

"No clue," I answered.

"He came to Lexi's birthday yesterday," Emmett revealed. "He even brought her a gift," he looked confused. "It's weird."

Ever since elementary school, James had made it his mission to make my life miserable. Swirlies? He did it. Wedgies? He did those, too. Who gave me the nickname "Stroke" when we were teens? James. Who started the rumor that I had a glass eye? James. I was pretty sure that if Emmett hadn't gone to the same school as me, I wouldn't have lived past the eighth grade.

Douche.

"What do you want, James?" I putted the ball, missing the hole. Damn.

"I hope you aren't stupid enough to try to give him a wedgie in front of witnesses," Emmett said, standing beside me menacingly.

"Calm down," James waved him off, getting out of his golf cart. "So…" he led off, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah…?" I drawled out in question. I had no clue what this was about. I made the hole that time.

"Uh…" he started, looking around, "You're friends with Victoria, right?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"She's more Bella's friend than mine," I confessed. "But I know her."

"Is she… _**okay**_?" he asked. Was he concerned? It couldn't be...

"Yeah," I answered. He looked a little put off by my reply.

"I've called her three times. I've left messages. I've texted," he listed his attempts on his fingers. "She hasn't gotten back to me. Are you sure she's okay?" he asked.

"She seemed fine this morning," I said, confused by his questions.

"She's not avoiding me, is she?" he asked. "No way," he said to himself, shaking his head. "I'm rich and I'm hot. Girls don't avoid me," he smiled. "She must be sick or something."

"I don't know," I shrugged my shoulder. "Ask Bella."

"I don't know Bella."

"You don't know me."

"We know each other," he lightly pushed my shoulder.

I highly doubted him hanging me on the door by my underwear was the basis of a friendship.

"No, we don't," I argued.

"Look, man," he turned around, looking away. "I just want to talk to her. That's all."

"Then, why are you asking me?" I asked, confused. "I don't have any influence over the matter."

"Just talk to her after the luncheon," Jasper rolled his eyes.

Something told me Victoria would be angry with Jasper later.

"She's at the luncheon?" James asked, his eyes lighting up. "Of course," he smacked his head. "She didn't tell me she was going."

"Well…"

"Thanks, Stroke," he said, patting my back and getting back in his cart.

"It's Edward, you asshole!" I yelled after him.

"Yeah, yeah," he waved as he drove away in his cart.

"What a prick," Emmett, Jasper and I said in unison.

"I can't believe Jane raised such a shithead," dad shook his head. "Whose turn is it?"

We spend the next few hours playing golf. We didn't bother keeping score. We just played to pass the time. Eventually, we got bored and decided to head inside.

"Wow. It's almost five o'clock," Jasper noticed. "The luncheon is almost over."

"Cool!" Riley shouted, looking over the rest of the building. "I didn't know there were fucking designer stores in here. How amazing is this shit?" he asked, pointing to the Gucci store.

Did I mention that there were Coach, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Valentino stores in our country club?

Disgusting.

"Do you think we should head…?" dad started.

"Who told James I was here?" I saw Victoria seething, stepping out from behind a curtain. "How in the fuck did he know I was here?"

She had on a black dress with red polka dots and red shoes. Her hat was black and gigantic…with red flowers, cranberries, and red and black feathers poking out the top of it.

It was definitely a luncheon hat.

"Jasper did it!" we all told, pointing to Jasper.

"Good job," Vic deadpanned at Jasper. "He won't leave me the fuck alone," she complained, before seeing James come around the corner. "You never saw me," she pointed at us, before darting down the hallway.

"What's going on there?" dad asked me.

"No clue," I raised my hands in confusion. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Have you seen Victoria?" James asked the group. "I know I saw her come out here."

"No!" we all lied in unison.

"I smell her," he sniffed the air. "There," he pointed down the hallway Victoria had disappeared into. "She can't run forever," he moved quickly down the hallway in pursuit.

"That was my entertainment for the afternoon," Emmett laughed. "Let's crash the luncheon. I want some finger sandwiches," he rubbed his stomach and took off in search of his prey.

"Food?" I smirked.

"The main motive behind all his actions," Jasper elaborated, chuckling, "Either that or sex, I think both are equally as important to him."

"Let's go," dad shook his head, and we followed him to the ballroom where the luncheon was being held.

It looked like mom really had gone all out, from what I saw when I peeked through the door.

"Nice job, Esme," Jasper smiled.

"It took forever for her to come up with a 'motif' for this year," dad rolled his eyes as he said the last words. "It was the only thing she talked about for a whole week."

"I'm going in," Emmett whispered seriously, slightly opening the door enough to slip in.

We each waited thirty seconds before an additional person went in.

I slinked along the wall, trying not to be seen. It was an easy objective, seeing as how there must have been at least three to five hundred women in here…plus their huge hats. You could barely see anything. I walked over to the food table and saw Emmett eating sandwiches and drinking wine. He was hiding behind a lady's hat. You could only imagine how big it was if it could hide Emmett.

I heard the annoying voice of Heidi gather everyone's attention to present Tanya to play violin. I stood behind an ice sculpture to hide my presence. That was nice. Tanya was a great violin player. I wondered what she would play.

"Thank you, Mother," Tanya smiled. "I haven't had a lot of time to practice. So…please bear with me. I just wanted to add a little something, since I wasn't able to participate in the planning."

I heard the sounds of acknowledgement as she began to play Moonlight Sonata. I remembered that song. It was the song Bella had played when I first saw her…right before she'd hit me in the nose with the door. She'd played the song so beautifully, fully exploiting each note and pause. She'd made a standard piece come alive. As I heard Tanya play it, I admitted it was good, but Bella's version was…different. I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Thank you," Tanya smiled after playing her last note, and the entire room clapped for her. She did a good job.

"Isn't she wonderful?" mom asked smiling, taking the microphone from Tanya. "Well, ladies, I'd like to thank you all for coming out. That concludes…"

"Wait," Heidi raised her hand. Heidi walked up to mom, and the two started to converse. I saw mom take a glance at something in front of her, and she started shaking her head. Heidi started waving her hands profusely. Mom was still shaking hers. The other women started conversing amongst themselves; no doubt discussing what they thought was going on.

"Hello, ladies," Heidi took the microphone from mom. "I'd like to take the time to introduce a new friend of the Cullen and Denali families," she started. "Ladies, let's give a hand for Becca Schwinn!" she announced, clapping. "Stand up, Becca," she asked.

From the front of the room, I saw a figure stand up from her table. I immediately knew it was Bella because let's face it…Bella's ass was magnificent. I could spot it anywhere. I shouldn't have thought that.

Where was this coming from?

"What's going on?" Emmett asked.

"I don't know," I told him.

She had on a white dress with black trim. Her hat looked like nothing any of the other women had on, almost like a top hat, with netting over her face. It was unique and looked amazing on her. It was definitely different. It was Bella. I was glad she'd found one. That hat matched her personality perfectly.

"Say something, sweetie," Heidi prompted, handing Bella the mike.

"Hello," Bella started, "I know that most of us have another important event to go to, so I won't take up your time," she smiled. "I'd like to start by complementing Esme on this fantastic event. She's really an amazing woman," she complimented my mom, clapping her hands. The ladies followed suit. "Also, I've enjoyed meeting with and talking to many of you. It's just a pity that I couldn't meet all of you. You're such good women who really love giving back to the world. That's a rare vision to see. I hope I can have the opportunity to meet with you all again soon. Thank you," she smiled, handing the mike over to Heidi and sat back down in her chair.

"I've heard that our Becca here is also a stellar violin player," Heidi raised a brow, looking at Bella. "I hope she wouldn't mind playing a little song for us?"

I saw Bella put her hand up and start to shake her head in modesty, but the women started clapping in encouragement.

"Come on," Heidi laughed. "We'll play another little song," she tried to convince Bella, or rather taunted her from the challenging look on her face. "Tanya? Play another little song for us," she told her daughter.

Tanya got up and asked mom a question. Mom, still shaking her head, walked over to the piano. She started the infamous piano intro and Tanya started playing "Flight of the Bumblebee" on her violin. That song was her specialty. She could play it at lightning speed. Why was she playing that? Mom played with Tanya on the piano, still shaking her head. Tanya finished, to another round of applause.

"Becca?" Heidi started again, "You won't play a song for us?"

I saw Bella's hat shake back and forth, giving her answer.

"Well…" Heidi paused with a sigh, "Not all of us can be up for a challenge so quickly," she stated. "I'll give the mike back to…"

At that moment, Bella got up from the table and walked up to Tanya. Tanya handed Bella her violin. She then walked to mom and told her something. Heidi gave Bella the mike.

"Our dear Heidi has convinced me to play," she smiled. "I must warn that I haven't played in quite a long time. So, please, forgive any mistakes on my part," she asked. "It's just for fun. Right, ladies?" she asked with a cheeky shrug.

She pulled the veil on her hat above her face and tuned the violin a little. Bella stood there bravely on the stage, alone, with no accompaniment.

Then, Bella started playing.

Whoa.

I knew Bella could play. I had no idea she was a virtuoso at the violin. She'd sounded good when she played with Victoria when I saw her. Now that I was seeing and hearing her here, it was clear that she'd phoned that first one in.

She was playing the notes so quickly that her fingers looked blurry from how fast they were moving. She played the song with much more fluidity and staccato than Tanya did. That, in addition to the speed she was playing it at? Amazing.

She could have played with the Russian orchestra if she'd wanted to. People would pay to see that kind of playing.

The last note finished, and Victoria hopped out of her seat and started clapping and whistling. I even heard the sound of someone laughing from one of the tables. The room erupted into thunderous applause. Bella bowed her head, looked at Heidi with a nod, and sat back down.

"Well…" mom took the mike back, "That concludes our luncheon for this year," she smiled. "Thanks for coming. I look forward to seeing you all next year."

"I was wrong," Emmett said. "**That** was my entertainment for the afternoon," he patted me on the back. "You found yourself a gem, Bro," he smirked, eating a half of a sandwich in one bite.

"Ew…" I gagged.

"Heidi must be so embarrassed," Jasper chuckled, eating some cheese and crackers.

"What are you guys doing in here?" mom asked, hands on her hips. "This is a ladies-only event."

"We just got here," dad lied smoothly. "The doors just opened."

The guys took that as their cue to leave the room.

"Oh," she smiled. "Edward, why didn't you tell me Bella was so gifted on the violin?" she asked.

"She doesn't like to brag," I shrugged my shoulders.

"She could do it professionally."

"She fell out of love with it a couple of years ago." I remembered her telling me that when she'd hit me with the door.

"She's amazing," mom smiled, wrapping her arm through mine. "I have a good feeling about this one," she clapped.

"Your Alice is showing," I teased.

"Shut up, you," she ruffled my hair. "Good job, Son," she smiled, walking off.

"Hey, Edward," I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see Tanya. She had on an extremely form-fitting blue dress. Honestly, it was form-fitting to the point where it looked too small. Her hat was a blue-silver color with peacock feathers sticking out of it. "What's up?"

"Nothing," I answered, looking for Bella.

Where was she?

"I heard that you went golfing with my dad…and Riley," she said, stepping closer.

"Mhmm," I said, feeling a little awkward. Why was she leaning so close?

My personal bubble had been penetrated.

"That's nice," she smiled. "He misses you," she confessed. "_**A lot**_ of people miss you," she looked at me.

"Hello, Lover," I heard Bella chime, as she stepped between me and Tanya.

"Hey, sweetie," I looked into her eyes. I got lost in those brown orbs every time. "How was your day?"

"It's better, now that you're here," she wrapped her arms around my neck. "I missed you," she pouted, getting on her tiptoes. "So much," she smiled, as I planted my lips on hers. I welcomed the ever-present spark. I loved it. "Mmm," she breathed, and I took her invitation, slipping my tongue into her mouth to taste her essence. I took her lead, wrapping my arms around her waist and threading my fingers through her hair.

I heard an, "Ugh!" before the sound of heels clicking away.

"Whoa," she sighed, wiping some of her lipstick from my mouth. "You're a great kisser. Have I told you that?"

"It's nice to hear," I said, tucking some hair behind her ear.

We stared at each other in silence before Bella whispered, "I did."

"What?"

"Miss you," she blushed, looking down. "I really did miss you today."

"I missed you, too," I told her, my arms still wrapped around her. "I was so excited when you called."

"Slow down, kids," Jane Ingram smiled at us. "Save it for the storage closet at the end of the hall," she joked.

"Hello, Mrs. Ingram," I waved at her.

She was one of my dad's oldest friends. They'd known each other since high school. She was a lot of fun. I had no clue how she'd spawned an asshole like James.

"Hello, honey," she kissed my cheek, leaving a big red mark on my face. "Your girl is wonderful," she complimented, rubbing Bella's shoulders. "By the way, Bella, where's Victoria? I was having a lovely time talking about people with her," she frowned. "She seems to love gossip as much as me, but she just up and took off."

"She's somewhere," Bella waved, as Jane looked around, "Avoiding your son, most likely," she added with a laugh as Jane walked away.

"What's with Victoria and James?" I asked. "He asked me where she was. You have no idea how weird it was."

"She hasn't given me a clear answer," she informed. "She's stalling. So, it _**must**_ be juicy," she wiggled her eyebrows. "Lord, help us all if those two form a relationship," she shuddered.

"You sounded excellent," I kissed her forehead. Now that she was here, I had the sudden urge to kiss her…and touch her boobies.

Stop it!

"You saw that?" she asked, making a sad face. "I hate being put on the spot. It's so pretentious."

"You did fine," I ran my fingers through her hair.

"Flight of the Bumblebee?" she scoffed. "I learned that when I was eight. It's not even that hard. If she'd done some Tchaikovsky, then it might've been a challenge."

"You're so humble," I teased, "Really humble."

"I know," she smiled, giving me a peck on the lips.

When had we become so…affectionate? I liked it.

"Is he here?" Victoria walked up to us, looking around cautiously.

"Not that I know of," I said.

"Good," she wiped invisible sweat from her forehead. "I'm running out of places to…shit!" she hissed, before running out again.

"I see you!" James called, following her outside.

"Oh, God," Bella shook her head, and then she leaned it between the crook in my shoulder. "You always smell so good."

"It's soap," I rolled my eyes.

"You still smell good," she poked my side.

"Break it up, you two," Alice pulled us apart. "Bella, we have to finish our shopping trip," she smiled, looking at me.

"But…"

"I just got her back," I said, hugging Bella closer.

"I want Edward," Bella hugged me back.

"No buts," Alice interrupted. "We won't be that long…three hours tops."

"That's a short trip to you?" Bella asked, scared.

"Come on," she grabbed her hand and pulled her away forcefully.

"Bye," I kissed Bella before she was out of my grasp.

"I'm not sure if I told you this," Rose said, walking past me to get to the rest of the girls, "but…awwwwww," she smiled before walking away.

It was not fair. They'd had Bella all day. I hadn't even gotten to talk to her…not really. I missed her.

What was happening? I didn't really know. But I wasn't going to question it.

I watched Bella being dragged away with the women in my family until I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Man cave, my good men," dad directed, handing every one of us cigars.

I was not much of a smoker. I only did it when it was a form of male bonding…like it was now. We went into the _Smoking_ _Den_. It looked like a stereotypical high-end man cave; dark green walls, dark hardwood floors, dim lighting, blazing fireplace, bar, jazz music, and huge flat-screen TVs. The best thing, however, was the humongous recliner chairs they had in there. I wasn't allowed in there until I was eighteen. When I was able to go in, it was everything I'd hoped it would be.

We watched TV and ordered something to eat for an hour or two until Alec started off his smoke.

"I love a good Fuentes cigar," Alec smiled, as smoke exhaled from his nostrils.

"I agree, my friend," dad followed suit. "I agree."

"The only cigars I'd like to smoke would have weed in them," Emmett shook his head, coughing.

He'd never gotten into the cigar thing.

"They're okay," I inhaled and expelled the smoke through my nose.

"My granddad smoked one of these by one of the oil wells," Jasper drawled in his usually-hidden accent and started laughing. "He almost set it on fire."

Just like that, you remembered Jasper was from Texas.

"Hello, gentlemen," a waitress introduced herself to our section. "Is there anything I can get you? Drinks? Another cigar?" she smiled…at me. "Anything?"

What was with that?

"I'm okay," I nodded my head, looking at the TV.

"I'll have…scotch," Alec said, handing her the menu. "Double. Two. Make them strong."

Twenty seconds later, I felt my phone vibrating. It was a text.

**Jasper: Emmett and I give it thirty minutes before Alec is drunk. **

I looked to my left and saw Em and Jazz staring at me, trying not to laugh.

**Me: Forty-five minutes. He's no lightweight. **

"Yes!" Alec rejoiced as the waitress brought out his drinks. "You know what? It's a party. Bring out some bourbon, too," he gave her a fifty dollar tip.

**Me: Make that twenty-five minutes.**

I laughed, sending the text.

"Look at that ass," Riley said, sighing as the waitress left the room. "You could bounce a quarter off that thing."

We just looked at him.

I'd admit, you could tell that a man had designed the country club uniform for the waitresses. There was a black vest, a white shirt under it, with a black mini skirt, black stockings, and black heels. I'd never seen a woman who wasn't skinny work here. I was surprised they hadn't been sued for discrimination…yet.

"Edward," Alec started, drinking, "Have you met Bella's parents? What do they do?"

I knew what he was doing. I would bet one million dollars that Heidi had put him up to this.

"No," I answered, taking a drag of my cigar, "I haven't met them yet."

"Why not?" he asked. "You guys are serious, are you not?"

"Her parents are busy," I replied, trying not to let on that I didn't know who they were. "They don't talk much."

"That's sad," he nodded his head. "Who are they again?" he asked, trying to trip me up.

"Busy," I told him, raising an eyebrow. "I respect that. I'll meet them, as soon as I'm able," I answered.

"It's okay if she's not…like us," he pulled from his second drink. "There's no shame in being…common."

He thought Bella was poor, and that was why she wouldn't tell who she was.

"Oh," I smiled, thinking of all the expensive shit Bella owned. Hell…Cheetah! "That's not it," I shook my head. I didn't know what came over me, but I blew my smoke in Alec's face.

My phone started to buzz.

**Emmett: FTW**

**Jasper: Damn. **

"So, what do you guys think of those Patriots this year?" dad asked, pointing to the large plasma TV hanging across from us. "Tom Brady, eh?" he said awkwardly.

I wondered what Bella would have had to say about this? She'd probably throw me a parade or something. I felt my phone vibrating. I opened it.

It was not a text message.

It was a picture.

It was a picture of Bella.

It was a picture of Bella…in lingerie.

It was a picture of Bella in…_**sexy**_ lingerie.

She had on a black bra and garter set. The bra was sheer and barely contained her ample breasts. It had black silk strips running across the center, covering her nipples. My eyes traveled down her toned stomach to a skirt-like bottom with black garters attached to it. There were sparkly bows on the closures of the garters and the straps of the bra.

Were they diamonds?

Her arms were raised, with her hair threaded through her hands, and she was looking behind her at her ass. My phone chimed, letting me know I had another text. I opened it to find another picture.

It was Bella. Her leg was propped up on a leather couch, and she was playing with the closures of the lingerie. The skirt was hiked up a little bit. I could make out her…

"Oh, God," I started coughing, hugging my phone to my chest. "Oh…" I continued coughing, and my cigar fell out of my hand.

"Edward!" Emmett ran over to me. I was still coughing. "Are you having another asthma attack?"

"Somebody get us an inhaler!" dad shouted.

"I'm o-o-o…" I tried to talk. I started to feel lightheaded and sat down.

"Here, Sir," the waitress handed me an inhaler.

"I'm okay," I waved it away.

"Damn it, Edward," dad shoved it in my face, "I don't feel like telling your mother you died on my watch."

"Fine," I took a few puffs of the inhaler.

"No more cigars for you," Jasper pushed the tray of cigars away from me.

"It's good now," I calmed down.

"That was scary," Alec said, pouring a glass of bourbon. It wasn't a liquor glass. It was a normal glass. "Here," he poured me a shot of bourbon and gave it to me.

"Thanks," I took the shot…then looked at my phone again.

Wow.

I looked at the pictures and then glanced over my shoulders. I didn't want anyone else seeing this. I couldn't help but smile sinisterly. Bella had sent me sexy pictures. Her body was…amazing. I knew she had a great rack. But her abs…her thighs…her legs…that ass...she was a work of art.

Shit.

"I have to go to the bathroom," I announced, darting up from my seat and made a beeline for the nearest bathroom.

Once I entered the room, I immediately checked under the stalls and found that I was the only person in there. I locked the door.

"Okay," I said to Edward Jr., "I don't blame you," I started. "Those were some pretty sexy pictures," I leaned my head back, trying to relax. "I'm a little busy. Calm down," I begged, talking to my boner that was sticking out for all to see.

I would die from embarrassment if my father saw my boner.

My phone chimed with yet another text message.

It was another picture.

"Don't look, Edward," I shook my head. "Don't look."

It chimed again.

It was another one.

_Look, damn it!_

I'd give you two guesses as to who thought that.

"You're already hard," I argued, looking down.

I debated for another five minutes. They couldn't have been better than the ones I'd already seen. I hesitantly opened the pictures.

"Damn," I hissed, feeling my cock get harder.

It was a different outfit. This time, she was in a black and red lace corset. The part below the breasts was completely sheer. There was red stitching along the seams, and the red panties had ruffles on the ass. She was on her knees, giving the camera a little smirk. That was not the best part. The grand finale was the black heels, black satin gloves, and leather whip she was holding. The whip was wound between her hands, and she was biting down on it in the middle.

"Fuck!" I groaned out, looking over the picture.

Sexy.

My phone chimed again.

"What now?" I groaned, opening the picture.

There it was.

Bella was in a blue lace cami and dark blue panties…on a fur rug…on all-fours.

"Oh, God," I winced, this time in pain as my cock strained against my pants. It hurt. "Stop," I commanded Jr. I really didn't want to jerk off in this bathroom. It made me feel so…dirty…and awkward.

At that moment, Edward Jr. twitched, as if he was shaking his head in defiance.

"This is so embarrassing." I got some lotion from the counter and stepped into the stall. I grabbed some tissue to lift the seat up. I pulled my pants down along with my boxers, seeing my boner spring free, eager for attention.

"Okay," I wrapped my hand around my cock, slowly starting to stroke it. I leaned my head back, enjoying the feeling, as I let my imagination take over.

"_Edward," Bella sighed, arching her back. "Yeah," she moaned, rocking her hips against mine._

"_Shit," I hissed, quickening my pace._

"_Oh, God," her breath hitched while she moved her hips faster. "Fuck," she bit her lips, as her small hands gripped my shoulders._

"_Bella," I grunted, my hand moving to her breast, taking her nipple into my mouth. _

"_Right there," she sighed, her hips working faster._

"_Damn," I grabbed her hips, thrusting my cock into her. _

"_Ah-ah-ah," her head fell onto my shoulder, her hands finding themselves in my hair. "I'm close," she whispered into my ear. _

"_Me, too," I moved faster. _

"_Edward…" she called, "Oh, God!" she threw her head back. "Yes!" she screamed, as her walls clenched around me. _

"Fuck," I hissed, as my release shot into the toilet…or at least around it.

It was everywhere.

I grabbed some more toilet tissue to clean up my mess. Afterwards, I flushed the toilet and made myself presentable.

I couldn't believe I had masturbated to Bella's pictures. I shook my head in disgust with myself.

"Bro," Emmett came down the hallway, "You were in there forever. Were you in there jerking off or something?" he laughed.

"I was taking a shit," I blurted out in a lie, causing him to laugh louder.

"Don't say that so loud," he whispered.

"Guys!" James came to find us. "Have you seen Victoria?" he asked, for the fifth time today. "I haven't been able to find her."

"They left like three hours ago, dude," Emmett chuckled. "Shit! I'm not sure if I was supposed to tell you that."

"Fuck!" James kicked the door. "I'll get her," he vowed, walking down the hallway.

"Tool," Emmett shook his head at James's retreating figure. "Bro, I have to tell you something," he announced.

"What?" I asked. I figured it was something funny, like he'd farted or something. I held my breath.

"Rose and I got married a month ago," he confessed.

"What?!" I shouted, looking around.

"I know," he sat down. "We were in Vegas doing a health seminar. Megan was there. It seemed like the perfect time," he shrugged his shoulders. "It was beautiful…just me and my girls."

"You got married and didn't tell mom?" I asked. "You didn't tell Alice?"

Alice and mom had been known to be stellar party planners. They lived to plan wedding and things like that. When they found out Em and Rose had robbed them of that… it wouldn't be pretty.

"They're going to kill you," I whispered, looking at my brother. "Dad won't be able to help you."

"I wanted to tell everyone," he ran his fingers through his curly hair, "But…then everyone found out about your secret girlfriend…you stole my thunder."

"Don't make this my fault. You got married at least a week before anyone found out," I pointed at him. "Why?"

"I didn't want a big wedding. Rose didn't, either. I know she likes flashy things, but she didn't want a thousand people gawking at her," he confessed. "She also didn't want Mama Masen's ring. That might've had a small something to do with it."

Here we went with that ring. It was supposed to have gone to the first one of us boys that got married. I rolled my eyes.

"What's so horrible about that ring? Is it cursed?" I shook my head.

"No," Em said. "It's just not for Rose. She doesn't like gold. She's a platinum girl," he smiled.

"When are you going to tell them?" I asked.

"Sometime this week…will you be there?" he asked.

"So you can use me as a human shield?"

"You're mom's favorite," he reasoned. "If you stand in front of me, she won't kill you to get to me."

"You know mom and dad don't have favorites," I looked at him.

"I'm scared," he confided.

"You should be," I warned him.

"Emmett, Edward," dad called to us, "It's time to go."

"Okay," we got up to follow him.

"Seriously, Bro," Em started, "Alice might skin me alive."

"Skin you alive for what?" Jasper asked. "What did you do? I'm confused."

"Nothing," Em and I said together.

"Liars," Jazz called us out.

Apart from always being confused in the conversation, it was well known _**not**_ to tell Jasper a secret. It was impossible for him to keep one. He was the one who had blurted it out at dinner when Alice got pregnant. He didn't handle stress well. That was why Alice knew everything that happened.

Jasper told Alice. Alice blew it out of proportion. The situation with me and Bella was a prime example.

"Okay, boysh," Alec slurred, as Riley tried to hold him up, "Ish been aweshome," he told us. At least he thought it was us. It was our reflection. "Shee you guys shoon," he giggled, as Riley helped him outside.

"It took him an hour this time," Emmett smiled. "We were all off."

"Damn," I chuckled. "I was sure I had it."

The ride back to the house was uneventful. I stared at the pictures on my phone the entire ride. I was a bit paranoid that someone would see, so I locked the pictures. I wondered if she'd be mad if I put one of them as the screensaver on my computer. Probably. I had to put my phone away because Jr. was getting excited again.

I wondered why she'd sent them. I was not ungrateful. Trust me, I was not. It was just…was that how she saw me now?

It was around nine o'clock when we got back to the house. I opened the door to see Snooki running towards me.

"Awww…" I rubbed her belly, and she cuddled into my chest.

"Uncle Eddie!" Lexi and Megan sat next to me on the couch and took Snooki from my hands. "Did you have fun?"

"Uh huh," I kissed her head.

"Did you almost die?" she asked. "That's what my mommy said."

Jasper and Alice.

"It wasn't that bad, sweetie," I laughed, turning on Disney Channel so they could watch _Ant_ _Farm_.

"Okay," Megan hugged me. "I don't want you to die."

"I don't, either," I grinned, hugging the both of them.

"Are you okay?" mom asked, coming into the room. "Did you have an asthma attack?"

"I just got out of breath. That's all."

"What were you doing?"

"Running," I lied. I didn't want to get anyone in trouble.

"Oh," she kissed my hair. "Take it easy, okay?"

"Sure," I rolled my eyes and got up.

I walked upstairs to see three shopping bags on the bed. Did she buy the lingerie? YES, please!

I grabbed one of the bags to look when I heard Bella.

Oh shit…busted.


	12. Chapter 12

**EMOTIONAL WARFARE**

**I'm baaaack! Sorry for the wait. RL has been killer. As always, thanks for the reviews. I hope you like the chapter. Beta services are provided by Dollybigmomma.**

**Chapter 12**

**BELLA**

"Fuck," I whispered as we entered the expensive boutique.

It turned out that Edward had forgotten to inform me about some all-important ladies' luncheon that required I wear an expensive and most likely obnoxious hat. This sucked because I had tons of them at home. Now, I was stuck in a store with Alice, Rose, Lexi, Megan, Esme, and Victoria, and I was trying to hide.

"Bella!" Alice stormed over. Damn, she'd found me. "What about this?" she asked, holding up a giant pink hat with feathers surrounding the brim.

I hated pink.

"Nah," I shook my head, "It's not really my style."

"Damn," she put it back on the shelf.

"Ooh," Victoria gushed, picking up a pair of purple peep-toed pumps and placing them under her arm. So far, she had three pairs of jeans, five pairs of shoes, and one evening gown. Impressive given we'd only been here twenty minutes.

"I can't believe Edward forgot to tell you to bring a hat," Esme shook her head. "That boy can be scatterbrained like his father sometimes," she giggled, trying on a green hat with peacock feathers on it.

"What are you wearing?" Rose asked, holding a red hat and a brown hat in either hand. "That might make it easier to choose."

"Mine is black and red," Victoria held up a black dress with red polka dots on it. It had a 1940's screen siren vibe to it. It was very her.

"How about this?" Rose handed her the red hat. It had cranberries and red tulle around it. "It matches the style."

"Hmm," Vic placed the hat on her head and the dress over her body. "I like it. Thanks," she smiled, going off to find more shit to buy.

"What about you?" Alice asked me.

"It's a simple black and white dress," I informed. Before we left, I had gotten it out of my suitcase and put it in the car. I didn't know how long it would take to find a hat to match.

"This would be nice," she held up a small black hat with black feathers sticking out of the top.

"I guess," I grabbed it, satisfied that I'd found something.

They were just hats. I didn't get why it was such a big deal.

We shopped for another thirty minutes. Since I was done, I took the time to call Edward and let him know how upset I was that I didn't get a chance to wear one of my own hats. Luckily, we were soon checking out.

"Is this hat for the Annual Luncheon?" the cashier asked looking at the computer screen. I nodded my head. "I'm sorry, but someone has already bought this hat for that luncheon."

"That's okay," I waved it off, going into my wallet to grab some money.

"We don't sell more than one style of a hat that's already promised to a function," she apologized. "I'm sorry."

"Shit," I hissed looking around the store.

"It's going to be impossible to find a suitable hat this late," Alice pouted, giving the girls some candy. "How about this one?" she held up a fuchsia hat. Did I mention that I hated pink? "It could be a pop of color. Just add some fuchsia shoes."

The hat had to be at least two feet tall with flowers, feathers, and what looked to be a bird on it.

"I know it's weird," she excused, "But it's something. I doubt this will be the most extreme one there," she soothed.

There was no way in Hell I was wearing that. I was not that weird.

"No," Vic put the hat back. "Bella hates all variations of the color pink." I loved her.

"Well," Rose walked around another section of hats, "There has to be a compromise. You can't go without a hat."

"Unfortunately," Esme breathed, "You can't. It'll be the first time you'll meet most of these ladies. You'd never live it down."

Over a hat? Who did that?

"It's ridiculous," Esme whispered. "I plan the thing every year and even I know it's ridiculous."

"This blows," I looked over the selection again. "Why don't men…"

I had an idea!

"Where's the men's side?" I asked Alice.

Once we reached the other end of the store, I found this awesome man's hat. It was black with a white silk border and looked like a hybrid between a fedora and a top hat.

"This," I smiled picking it up.

"That's a boy's hat," Megan pointed out confused.

"Not for long," I smiled, walking over to the accessories side.

I found a piece of black and white netting that could double as a small veil, a medium-sized silver jeweled broach, and a couple of light blue feathers.

"What are you doing?" Lexi asked as I dug in my purse for my little emergency sewing kit, looking for some thread.

"I have no clue," I said, handing the cashier a wad of money.

We were the first to arrive at the club. Since Esme was the head planner, she had to make sure everything was in place. I took the time to get ready. My dress was simple. It was white with a black border on the neck and a black design in the middle. It was knee-length and hopefully appropriate for the function. I paired the dress with classic black Prada peep-toed pumps and some black Gucci shades.

For the hat, I took the netting and stitched it along the bottom of the white silk border. I then lifted the netting so it wouldn't be obvious that it had been sewn on. On the tie of the border, I pinned the silver jeweled broach I'd bought to add a little sparkle. Face it, sparkly made everything better. To add a finishing touch, I grabbed one of the bigger blue feathers and placed it along the border as well. Before I put it on, Vic handed me some bobby pins, and I rolled my hair into a simple rolled chignon at the base of my neck. Very classic indeed.

"Sexy Mama," Vic hugged my side as we walk towards the dining room. "Let's slut up the place," she giggled, opening the door.

The dining room was beautiful. The lighting was somewhat dim, and there was a faint presence of pink and green lights that gave the place a nice glow. Coordinating flower arrangements covered every table, and the chairs and silverware had been meticulously set.

I looked around to see that the luncheon was in full swing. It seemed that the majority of the guests had arrived while Vic and I were getting ready, although I couldn't see most of the women's faces because their hats were so big. One lady had a falcon on the side of her face. A real falcon. I doubted it was fake. Another hat looked like a gigantic silver cloud was swirling around this one lady's head.

Alice was right. That fuchsia piece of crap would have gone unnoticed.

"Bella, Victoria," I heard Esme calling us over. I walked over, trying not to stare at the bizarre things these women had on their heads. Esme went for a more classic approach. She had on a nice red wide-brimmed hat that fanned out, showing her beautiful face. It popped against her black dress and red pumps. Her long bronze hair flowed down her back.

"I love your hat," Alice smiled, giving me a thumbs-up. She opted for an ivory dress with a darker ivory and brown hat. It reminded me of the fascinator hats people wore to the royal wedding.

"You look pretty," Lexi and Megan said in unison. Their hats looked adorable. Lexi's looked like a melted scoop of ice cream with a cherry on top. Megan's was in the shape of an orange butterfly.

"Thank you," I hugged them.

"Oh, Becca," Heidi interrupted, "You made it," she deadpanned. "What an…interesting hat choice for you," she smirked.

"I love being different," I patted my hat.

Heidi's hat was fuchsia with a gigantic ball of black tulle on top. Then there was a ball of fuchsia feathers on top of that layer. She looked stupid.

"Different you are," Tanya added, staring me up and down.

"Bella," Esme grabbed my hand and pulled me next to her, "I'd like for you to meet Jane Ingram," she smiled.

"Hello," I shook her hand.

"So you're the one Esme has been bragging about," Jane grinned looking at me. "It seems like Edward is quite taken with you," she teased.

"I'm taken with him, too," I blushed, thinking about the hot make-out session we'd had yesterday. It was so…random. I loved it.

"I've known Edward since he was in diapers," Jane gushed. "I went to school with Carlisle…and Heidi," she hissed, looking at Heidi and rolling her eyes.

"It was a pleasure," Heidi deadpanned.

"Cool," Vic entered the conversation, "I didn't know the four of you knew each other that long."

"Oh, no," Jane waved Vic off, "Esme didn't join our little group until college," she informed, nudging Esme who blushed. "We went to Dartmouth. Esme pledged the same sorority that Heidi and I were in," she smiled. "She was my little," she pinched Esme's cheek. "Heidi, unfortunately, was my roommate," she pointed her thumb in Heidi's direction.

"After that, we were inseparable," Esme gushed.

"Yeah," Heidi rolled her eyes.

"Everyone in the group had a role," Jane laughed. "Esme was the quiet good girl…"

"Jane was the…" Esme started.

"Slut," Heidi interrupted.

"Yeah," Jane nodded her head, "and Heidi was the bitch," she pointed to Heidi. "It's funny how some things never change," she stared Heidi in the eyes.

"Like your need for makeup," Heidi countered. "Do you need to borrow some?" she asked Jane, taking a compact out of her purse.

"No thanks," Jane declined, "I'm allergic to cheap generic brands," she shook her hands.

Victoria didn't even try to hide her laughter at the comeback.

"Okay," Esme stepped in, "I'm going to go kick things off. You ladies take a seat," she calmly ordered before going up to the mic.

"Hello, ladies," she started, "I'd like to thank you all for taking time out of your holidays to be here and support our cause," she clapped and others followed. "We have several charities here today, all with great causes and looking for a little love. So don't go easy on your purse strings, please, ladies," she joked. "Every cent will go to a charitable cause. So find it in your hearts to dig deep," she grinned. "Thank you," she nodded before going to sit down.

"Great as usual," Jane complimented Esme.

"How's London?" Esme asked.

"Fabulous," Jane replied. "How are the children?"

"Great," Esme smiled pointing to Alice. "How's James?"

"Still fucking anything with a hole," Jane rolled her eyes.

"Who is James?" Victoria asked, suddenly interested.

"My good-for-nothing son," she answered. "He's just like his father."

"Oh," I suddenly perked up, "James." I slowly looked to Victoria knowingly. She kicked me under the table.

I had yet to grill Victoria on her dealings with James. There was definitely something there.

"Bella," Jane started, "Since you're dating my honorary nephew, I must ask you a few questions."

"Shoot," I smiled.

"Where are you from?"

"New York."

"What kind of…"

"Bella here is a little 'sensitive' about her background," Heidi interrupted. "She's very guarded… secretive."

She was obviously pissed that I hadn't revealed who my family was. I was willing to bet that she probably thought I was just a poor gold-digger. She would shit herself if she found out who my parents actually were.

"Oh," Jane conceded.

"I just don't like it when people _interrogate_ me," I rolled my eyes.

"No secrets here," Vic lied, trying to ease the tension. "She's just plain ol' Bella Swan."

"Swan…" Jane muttered. "Why does that name sound familiar?" she asked, like she was thinking.

Good luck, lady. Not many people knew my dad's last name. He only went by his first name. Apparently, he had reached god status like Madonna…or Beyoncé. It was weird.

"Oh!" her eyes sparked up, "How's your mother?" she asked. "Last I heard she was pregnant," she added.

Shit.

How did she know who my mother was?

"You know Bella's mother?" Heidi asked, suddenly interested. "How is she?"

"Oh no!" Vic shouted as she "_accidently"_ spilled her drink all over Jane's dress.

"Ahhh…fuck!" Jane stomped her foot.

"I'm so sorry," Victoria apologized. "I'll pay for cleaning that." She got up with Jane, "I'll help you," she volunteered, going with Jane to the bathroom. I felt my phone buzz with a text.

_**Victoria: I'll stall her as long as possible. **_

How did Jane know who my mother was? Renee' didn't even share my last name. She didn't even raise me. This had just gotten a lot more complicated.

"Esme, you did a wonderful job with decorating," I smiled, hoping to change the subject.

It worked…on everyone but Heidi and Tanya. I could feel their gaze on me, studying what I was hiding from them. Every so often, they'd look around in search of Jane. I knew as soon as they saw her, they'd pounce to gain more information. I hoped Victoria was good at creating bigger diversions.

The next hour or so was spent listening to a presentation about great donation opportunities and talking to heads of several non-profit organizations. I ended up donating fifty thousand dollars to an organization that was set up for donating medical equipment to help train doctors in third-world countries. Then, I networked with the CEO of Tom Shoes about doing a "Most Eligible" auction at Harvard where the proceeds would help their business. Overall, it was a good experience.

"Nice save," Heidi said, standing next to me at one of the refreshment tables. I looked around for Alice, Rose, or Esme and saw nothing. I was stuck with her.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I told her, taking a sip of juice.

"I get it," she waved it off, "You don't want anyone to know about your parents," she had figured it out. "I know how overwhelming being around so many people with wealth can be," she patted my shoulder. "At least I can imagine," she said condescendingly.

She was so misguided.

"I have to…"

"Listen," she looked me in the eye, "I know it may seem like I'm being hard on you," she stepped closer, "but I'm just trying to protect everyone." She raised an eyebrow, looking me up and down, "Edward is very…attached to you. I'll admit that," she nodded her head, "But to weigh five months against seven years…" she huffed, "Come on, Bella, we both know you're smarter than that," she ended with a slight giggle.

"Riley is a phase. You are, too," she said, talking of Tanya's new boyfriend. "Tanya just wants to savor the different flavors of life before getting tied down. She did what was best for the both of them at the time." She paused and looked me in the eye again. "Make no mistake, Bella, Edward isn't over Tanya. Eventually, they'll get back together. They're meant for each other." She finished her glass of champagne and walked away.

Bitch.

Edward _was_ over Tanya. I mean come on. How could he not see how much of a bitch she was? Plus, she was getting fat. I hated to sound mean, but really. I looked over to see Tanya's gut poking out. Either she was getting fat or she needed to buy bigger clothes. It was probably both. Plus, we had made out yesterday…for real. He didn't seem like a person who would just do that for kicks…right? Heidi was just fucking with my head. It was not going to work.

Edward was over Tanya.

He had to be.

Right?

"Okay," Vic rushed over out of breath, "Jane is at the bar on the south side of the club," she informed. "I've been buying her drinks for the past forty-five minutes. She's tanked," Vic giggled. "She's actually hilarious as shit," she reflected. "I think I might have a girl crush on her," she realized amused.

"She's James' mother," I reminded her.

"Bella…" she warned.

"What?" I asked, feigning innocence. "I'm just making an observation. He came by looking for you at Lexi's party."

"I'm aware," she narrowed her eyes at me.

"So…" I led off.

"He…" she huffed. "Shit!" she hissed before ducking and running out of the room.

Huh?

"Bella?" I looked up to see James waving me over. "Have you seen Victoria?"

"No," I lied. If she ran when she saw him, she obviously didn't want to talk.

"Damn it," he growled, stalking out of the room in search of her.

"How is everything going?" Esme tapped me on the shoulder. "I know meeting all these people can be a little overwhelming," she took a sip of a Mimosa.

"It's okay," I shrugged my shoulders, "I guess."

I never really liked fundraisers. In my opinion, it seemed like people donated just to be seen donating by others. I would bet half of these people wouldn't donate another cent to charity until the next luncheon. It was a bit bogus.

"You're handling it better than I did," Esme chuckled, sitting in a nearby chair.

"What do you mean?" I asked, sitting next to her.

"When Carlisle's mother introduced me to these women," she started shaking her head, "I got so nervous I was nauseous."

"Why?" I asked confused. "Aren't you used to the whole society thing?"

"Bella," she looked me in the eye, "I grew up middle class. I was raised by my grandparents on their farm in Tennessee," she informed. "I didn't grow up with money. I wasn't poor by any means, but I wasn't 'Cullen' rich, either," she told me.

"Really?"

I smiled at that fact. There was an elegant quality about Esme that screamed class. It was almost regal. Given her background, it was funny that she had more class than most of the pure bluebloods around here.

"You feel out of place," she saw through me, "Don't you."

"I _always_ feel out of place," I confided looking at her.

"I did, too," she confessed, grabbing my hand. "I'd never been to a luncheon, or a benefit, or a ball…or any 'high society' event until I met Carlisle," she giggled. "Things adjust," she nudged me. "I made them fit me. I must say, I think I'm doing a hell of a job," she smirked. At that moment, I saw a little of Edward's smile in hers.

"I agree," I smiled with her.

"They need people like us," she pointed to the crowd of women. "We pull them back down to earth," she finished. She pulled me up by my hand, "Let's get back to our table."

"Esme," Jane giggled, hugging Esme's side, "I missed you. You and Carlisle should visit me in London," she whispered before burping.

Where was Victoria?

"Okay, sweetie," Esme unwrapped Jane's arms from around her and guided her back to the table.

"Sorry," Vic came back looking around, "I left her unattended for two minutes. I was hiding from James and she got away," she huffed out of breath. "I think she's too drunk to be coherent, anyway," she waved it off.

We walked back to the table to see Jane scooting her chair away from Heidi. Esme looked embarrassed and Alice and Rose were trying not to laugh. Lexi and Megan were too busy eating ice cream to know what was going on.

"Get away from me, Heidi," Jane scooted her chair away more, "Stop being so damn nosy."

"Jane!" Esme hissed, trying to scoot Jane's chair back.

"Ahhh, Bella," Jane pinched my cheek, "You're so pretty…and wholesome," she finished before slowly looking away at Tanya. "You're a definite improvement," she whispered to me…loudly. Everyone heard her.

"This is the best fundraiser I've ever been to," Vic chuckled, grabbing some champagne from a tray.

"Becca," Heidi flipped her hair, attempting to regain some composure, "We were just talking about your family," she smirked at me.

"No we weren't," Jane shook her head. "She kept asking me questions. I can't answer because I'm too drunk to remember," she informed. "Even if I did, I wouldn't tell her," she patted my lap.

"Jane is exaggerating a little."

"Pssh," Jane spat, "And I'm a natural blonde," she retorted.

"Here," Esme deadpanned, grabbing a bottle of champagne and gave it to Jane.

"Yaaaaay," Jane whispered and poured a full flute.

"That's us in the next thirty years," Vic giggled, pointing to Esme and Jane.

"I look forward to it," I smiled, taking a bite out of an apple.

"Tanya, sweetie," Heidi called her daughter, "Are you ready?"

"Yes, Mother," Tanya smiled, looking at me.

"Tanya is practically a virtuoso on the violin," Heidi bragged. "She volunteered to play a little song for us at the luncheon."

"That's nice," Vic smirked, tapping me under the table. I rolled my eyes.

"Every summer, we'd fly her off to Europe to study under the greats," Heidi boasted. "She was even accepted into Julliard."

"That's great," I said, eating some more fruit. "Why didn't you go?"

"I didn't want to."

"Then why did you audition?"

"I just wanted to prove that I could do it," Tanya sighed. "There's no _real_ money in the arts."

"Did you audition for any performing arts schools?" Heidi asked me. "You've told us you play the violin as well."

"No," I shrugged my shoulders. "I played as more of a…" I paused, looking for the right word. Obligation? Bribe? Seeking of approval? "Hobby," I finished.

"Oh," Heidi faked a pout, "Pity."

My mother decided that I would be a virtuoso at the violin and piano when I was only two. From then on, she flew the world's best teachers to her house in New York to teach me. When I was twelve, I was asked, or more liked begged…then forced…to play the violin as a guest of the Russian orchestra for an entire summer. While kids my age were running around on the playground enjoying life, I was getting cracked on the knuckles with a stick for hitting a note wrong. I stopped playing publicly when I was seventeen, as soon as I moved out from my mother's house. Now, you couldn't pay me to play in front of an audience. I still practiced, but no one was allowed to hear me. Ever.

The strains of Tanya sounding her first note pulled me out of my flashback. She was playing…Moonlight Sonata?

Seriously?

I tried to hide my giggle. People always mistook that song as a testament of skill. The chord progressions weren't that difficult. I never liked that song. I'd mastered it when I was about seven or eight.

Then, Heidi challenged me to play. I could tell what she was doing. She was certain Tanya was better than I was and was trying to embarrass me in front of the Connecticut elite. I wasn't going to play into it. I could play universes around Tanya. I didn't need to prove it to anyone.

"Go on," Vic pushed me.

"No," I shook my head and Esme apologized with her eyes.

"I suppose not everyone is up to a challenge," Heidi smirked.

"Oh, no she didn't," Vic hissed at me. "Show those bitches who's boss, girl," she whispered at me.

"Vic," I rolled my eyes, "It's not that…"

As I was about to decline again, I looked to the stage to see Heidi and Tanya share a look of victory as they took time to look away from each other and stare at me. I felt their gaze hit me as they looked me up and down, shaking their heads haughtily before Tanya flipped her hair abruptly and walked off stage.

Vic gasped, "Did you see that?"

"Yeah." I got up and walked over to Esme.

"Sweetie, I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean…"

"It's okay," I waved it off. "I'll play," I sighed and Esme smiled. "I tend to play a little…differently than Tanya," I advised with a subtle smile. Esme raised her brow as I went to ask Tanya for her violin.

"Good luck," she sneered, handing me the instrument. It wasn't my Stradivarius, but it would have to do.

The first thing I did was tune it. I wouldn't have put it past the bitch to mess with the pegs to fuck up my performance. I was right to do so. I sent a smirk her way as I re-tuned the violin.

I didn't really remember playing for almost fifteen minutes. I just remembered the sounds of awe as my fingers whizzed through the notes of Bach's _Chaconne in D minor_. My fingers were going to feel numb afterwards. It seemed that as quickly as I began playing, I was finished. I heard the sounds of Jane laughing at Heidi and pointing at her amongst the sounds of applause.

After that, the luncheon ended and I was ready to leave.

"Wow," Alice hugged me, "I haven't heard someone play like that in…ever, really," she said thoughtfully.

"Tanya is probably blowing a gasket by now," Rose giggled.

"Her and Heidi both," Alice laughed. "Heidi and Tanya pride themselves on Tanya's stellar violin skills. You should've seen Tanya's face when you started playing."

"Oh, well…" I shrugged, going outside.

Maybe Edward was outside. I knew the guys were playing golf. Hopefully, they were finished.

They were finished alright. I spotted Edward…in a corner…talking to Tanya….and her ugly ass hat. She was pushing her boobs in his face and leaning close to him. In Edward's defense, he probably didn't know that she was doing it on purpose. I wanted to pull her hair out. I looked to see Heidi staring at me and smiling. I thought about what she had said earlier.

MINE!

"Hello, lover," I smiled, giggling at my nickname for him.

"Hey, sweetie," he replied, staring into my eyes. "How was your day?"

Every time I looked into Edward's eyes…like really stared at them…I found myself in awe. They were so beautiful. I didn't know why he hid them behind his glasses. They were so pure, like his spirit. Plus, I had never seen a shade of green eyes that were so dark and rich. He looked turned on _all_ the time.

It was sexy.

"It's better, now that you're here," I flirted, standing on my tiptoes. "I missed you," I leaned in to kiss him, "So much," I added, planting my lips onto his. He received my invitation, entangling his tongue with my own and massaging it.

He was _such_ a good kisser. Why would anyone dump him?

"Mmm," I moaned as he hugged my waist close to his and threaded a hand through my hair. I stayed close, exploring his mouth with my own, thinking about last night and how it felt to have his hands roam around my body and the electric shock I felt at his touch. I found my panties moist at the memory.

Grab my ass!

I smiled inwardly as I heard Tanya huff and stomp off.

"I missed you, too," he smiled after I revealed how I had missed talking to him today. It felt weird not having him around, especially since he had ignored me like I had the plague yesterday. It was nice to know that he missed me, too.

Our reunion was cut short by Alice tugging me away so we could go shopping….again.

"We went shopping already," I complained as we drove away in Esme's Range Rover.

"We have to initiate you and Vic into our club," Rose giggled, massaging our shoulders.

"It's…" Esme started, like she was a game show host.

"LINGERIE DAY!" Rose and Alice shouted.

"Yaaaaay!" Vic clapped her hands. "I love lingerie!"

"Huh?" I asked. I was confused.

"Every year, when all the Cullen ladies get together, we all go out shopping to buy some sexy items for our men," Alice smiled.

"We never invited Tanya," Rose told me with a serious face.

"It's a nice way for us to get away, do something for ourselves and bond," Esme smiled.

"Oh," I nodded my head.

"Besides," Alice smirked, "Judging by how I found you and Edward before we left, I think Bella could use some sexy lingerie," she giggled.

"I know, right?" Vic tickled my side.

"James will love it," I smirked at her and she stopped immediately.

"What's with you two?" Rose questioned.

"Stay away," Alice warned, "He's a douche."

"I know," Vic rolled her eyes.

"Here we are," Esme announced, pulling into a parking lot.

The building looked to be very unassuming. It appeared to be a small warehouse of some sort. Esme walked to the door and there was a gold speaker. She pressed the call button.

"Hello," a female voice called, "This is Taboo. How may I help you?"

"This is Esme Cullen," Esme announced herself. "My party and I have a reservation," she said and the door opened.

We walked in and I noticed the store was very sexy in a chic way. All the walls were black with a gold design running along the middle. There was black and white checkered tile along the floor and a huge gold and crystal chandelier dangling from the ceiling. The place seemed to have three floors and a tall winding staircase in the middle of the base floor.

"Hello, ladies," a woman who appeared in her late twenties approached us. "We're glad to have you back with us," she smiled, leading us to the elevator. "This is your suite," she announced as we stepped off the lift.

"It's lovely," Esme smiled, looking around.

The walls of the room were blood red and a black chandelier gave the room a dark glow to it. It went well with the dark oak wood floors and white fur rug beneath our feet. It was very True Blood.

"We took the liberty of picking out some pieces we'd like for you to try," the woman showed us to several racks of lingerie. "Some are sample sizes. Others are the same sizes you requested the last time you were here," she pointed out. "Feel free to look in the catalogue for any other pieces you want to try," she handed each of us a book. "Call downstairs if you need anything," she added before she left us.

"I like this one," Esme said pulling a dark gold and blue slip from a rack.

"With these?" Alice said holding up a blue thong.

Huh?

"I know," Rose gagged. "If I helped my mom pick out lingerie for my dad, I'd die."

"Shut it," Alice griped as she rifled through the racks.

"This is cute," Vic smiled, picking out a dark green bra and ruffled panty set.

"Yeah," Rose nodded her head, "Redheads look good in green."

"What about you?" Esme asked me, sitting down to look through a catalogue.

"Uh…" I started. It was weird shopping for lingerie when Edward and I weren't having sex. "I…"

"Ooh, Bella," Alice ran over with a catalogue, showing me a page, "This would look hot on you."

It was a black bra, panty, and garter set with what looked to be a diamond bow closure.

"Sexy," Victoria agreed, going through the pages.

"You might give Edward a heart attack," Rose giggled, coming back with a red nightie.

"This looks cute," I said, holding up a light blue camisole with dark embroidery. It came with dark blue panties and the whole thing was see-through.

"For starters," Alice nodded her head.

"Let's try this stuff on," Vic encouraged and we each went to our own dressing room.

Feeling more awkward by the second, I stripped off my clothes and tried on the lingerie. Even though the top and bottoms were sheer, the placement of the embroidery left something to the imagination. I liked the way the blue looked on my skin. Before going out, I looked myself over in the mirror and checked how my ass looked in the cheeky panties.

"I'm not a lesbian or anything," I heard Vic's voice as I turned around, "but you have a really nice ass."

"Vic," I hissed, "What are you…"

"We're gonna see you in it, anyway," she whispered. "You have a great rack, too," she held my arms out so she could inspect me.

"So I've been told," I shook my head, thinking of what Lexi and Megan had said a couple of days ago. "I hate trying on clothes."

"Why?" she asked. "You have a hot body. You modeled for like four years…in Europe. This is nothing."

"I hated it then, too," I pointed out.

"Edward will like it," she smiled. I couldn't help but think of last night.

I blushed.

"Spill, you ho," she whispered, sitting on a stool.

"What?"

"You didn't forget that I walked in on you this morning…in nothing but some tiny silk boy shorts," she grinned. "What happened? Are you a woman now?" she asked, playing with the bra she had on.

"No," I rolled my eyes. "We…fooled around," I admitted nervously.

"Define fooled around."

"After I saw Edward's junk, he avoided me the whole day," I started. "I wanted to even the playing field so I…showed him my boobs," I blushed.

"What?" she choked. "You flashed him?"

"No. I straddled him and showed him my boobs. "

"Oh," she settled down. "Was he impressed?" she asked, pointing to my chest. "You do have a nice pair on you."

"Yeah," I blushed and Vic got up to hug me.

"I'm so proud," she beamed. "How far?"

"Vic…" It felt awkward discussing whatever Edward and I had going on.

"Don't deny me," she poked my boob. "I've wanted to dish with you for like seven years."

"Well," I started, "He was looking…like really looking," I blushed. "I don't know what came over me. I asked him to kiss me and he did."

"You made out?"

"And dry humped," I added, face-palming myself. "It felt great," I admitted.

"Did he…" she started, making the infamous pumping hand gesture.

"Yeah," I nodded my head. "He's _huge_."

"Yes," she hugged me again, "This is progress," she smiled. "You two are so meant for each other," she shook her head. "You're both awkward as shit."

That was not what Heidi said.

"What?" she asked.

Shit. I said that out loud.

"You said what out loud?" she asked.

"Come out here!" Alice shouted at us through the door.

"Okay, Alice!" I left the room quickly, eager to get away from Victoria.

"What do you think?" Vic asked, twirling around.

"Nice."

"Very nice," Rose elaborated.

"Your abs are amazing," I poked Rose's stomach.

"Three hundred crunches a day will do that," she replied, tapping her abs.

"That blue looks nice on you," Alice said standing next to me.

"Thanks," I looked myself over in the big mirror.

"I wish I had big boobs," Alice pouted, looking at our reflections in the mirror.

"Then you'd fall over," Rose joked.

"Whose phone is that?" Esme asked as I heard the sound of my phone ringing.

"Mine," I took responsibility and looked for my phone. It rang again. "Where is it?" I asked.

"Check under the couch," Alice suggested.

"Ugh," I got down on all-fours to look under the couch. I was pretty sure my asshole was exposed to the entire world. "Found it!" I announced and looked at the text.

_**Dad: What are you doing?**_

Seriously? He was still trying to act parental.

_**Me: Seriously?**_

I hit send and turned my phone off.

"I'm here with those requests," the woman from earlier came in with two garments.

"Right over there," Vic pointed at me.

"Okay," the lady came over to me, "I'll have to help you with this one," she held up the black piece. "It's quite expensive. You're the only lady to ever request it."

"I didn't…"

"She'll try it," Vic interrupted me, dragging me back into the dressing room.

"I don't want to try this on," I said and the lady pouted and put the garment back in the bag.

"Yes, she does," Vic argued. "Besides, we have to finish what we were talking about," she said.

"Okay, fine." The woman took the garment back out.

"Details," Vic ordered. "Who do I have to kill?"

"Why do you think I'm upset?" I asked, taking off my bra. I covered myself on instinct.

"Because you won't tell me," she retorted. "If you took it with a grain of salt, you'd laugh about it and tell me."

"It's not that bad," I told her as I put the black silk and mesh bra on. I tweaked my nips so you couldn't see them through the fabric. I wouldn't lie. The material felt soft against my skin. No wonder it was expensive. The salesperson took over from there, hooking the diamond closure across my back and the straps to the rest of the bra.

"Ooh pretty," Vic's eyes glazed. "Anyway, what happened?" she asked as I took off the blue cheeky panties. "Tell me," she turned around to give me some privacy.

"It was just Heidi's attempt at mind fuckery," I said, putting on the black panties and making sure the garter holds wouldn't poke me.

"Which was…" she waved forward, turning back around.

"Well…" I started as the lady helped me put on the stockings and attached the diamond closures to the straps. "She went on and on about how Tanya and Edward are meant for each other. She then said that Riley was a phase and so was I and eventually Tanya would get him back," I paused.

"She basically called you a temp," Vic deadpanned.

"Yeah," I said as the lady tightened the straps.

"Bitch," the saleslady whispered.

"What?" we shrieked in unison.

"No! Not you," she waved her hands in surrender. "You were talking about Heidi Denali, right?"

"Uh huh," we nodded our heads.

"That's who I was talking about," she seethed. "She always comes here. Every time, she makes the most obscene demands. She acts like it's our fault the sample sizes don't fit her fat ass," she raved. "Sometimes, I just want to say, 'Lady, you're in your fifties. You can't wear the same size and styles as a twenty-year-old,'" she paused. "She made one of our seamstresses let out a sample size for her because she didn't want anyone to know that she's a size ten," she giggled.

"Shit," Vic laughed, holding her stomach.

"Little does she know that her husband is fucking his secretary," she revealed. "He opened an account for her at the store and everything. She's a regular," she nodded her head. "She buys some pretty skanky stuff. But at least she's not a bitch like Heidi."

"No way."

"Way," she started again, smoothing out the garment on my body. "Don't get me started on her daughters…the implant twins," she rolled her eyes. "The young one is okay, but the older two? Vom!" she shook in disgust. "The blonde one…Tara…"

"Tanya," we corrected.

"Yeah, Tanya," she started again, "She came in with her mother a couple of days ago. She threw a shit fit when the size two lingerie wouldn't fit her anymore. She started crying," she giggled. "She's gotten a little chunky if you ask me."

"I know, right?" Vic nodded her head.

"There's nothing wrong with being a size eight," she rolled her eyes.

"What's your name?" Vic asked.

"Katherine," she answered, looking me over with approval.

"Do you want to party with us sometime?" Vic shook her hand. "You're cool as fuck."

"Sure," she shrugged her shoulders and gave me a thumbs-up. "You look hot by the way," she told me before leaving.

"You've gotta get this," Vic gushed as I looked in the mirror. "Guys, look!" Vic shouted, pulling me out of the dressing room.

"Oh…"

"My…"

"God!"

"What?" I asked playing with the strings of the garter.

"If I had a cock, it would be sooo hard right now. Da-yum," Rose said in approval.

"Bella," Alice whispered, "You look hot."

"You kind of have to get it now," Esme added.

"Isn't it a bit much?" I asked looking behind me at the diamond design in the back. "It looks nice," I admitted, "But…"

"It can be your special occasion lingerie," Alice beamed.

"I'm not…"

"The tribe has spoken," Victoria cut me off. "You're buying it."

"Fine," I huffed, walking back into the dressing room.

I felt a little stupid that I was about to buy lingerie when I didn't even have a boyfriend. Then, I took into account that I was shopping for lingerie with my fake boyfriend's family and I felt a whole other level of awkwardness.

I looked at myself in the mirror again. I did look nice in it. I loved the way the soft material felt. The black provided a nice contrast to my pale skin. I would admit that I felt a little sexy.

I wondered what Edward would do if he saw me in this?

I shook my head as Katherine came back in the room and helped me out of the garment.

After that, Rose forced me into a red and black corset with red ruffled panties and a whip. That was interesting. We fooled around for another hour or so, trying on various sexy ensembles, until it was time for us to go. Katherine had already brought the black items to the register for me. It couldn't hurt to buy them. He wouldn't see them, anyway.

"Okay," Katherine put the last garment into a bag and put scented tissue paper in it. "Your total comes up to…" she paused, entering in some numbers. "$24,798.61," she smiled.

"What?" I gasped.

How expensive was this shit?

"There's around four carats of diamonds in that black ensemble, plus all the handmade silk and lace," she reminded me. "It's a pricy ensemble."

"Stop acting like you can't afford it," Vic rolled her eyes and handed a cashier her credit card. "Use the force," she said in a ghostly voice, taking out my wallet and grabbing my credit card.

"Oh shit," Katherine whispered as Victoria placed my card in her hand. "This is…this is…" she paused, holding the card into the light. "Is this a…?"

"Yes," I said awkwardly, "It's a Black Diamond card," I admitted.

"They exist!" she gasped. "I never thought I'd get to see one," she looked the card over reverently. "Who do you know?" she asked, rubbing the card against her cheek.

"She's her daddy's princess," Vic giggled.

"Please," I rolled my eyes.

"Wow," Katherine shook her head, swiping the card through the machine. "You just made my day," she smiled, handing me my card back.

"See you soon," Vic waved as we walked back to the girls.

Everyone else headed home while I rode with Esme back to the club to pick up Lexi and Megan. We had left them at the club's daycare while we went shopping. Lucky girls.

"Edward had an asthma attack!" Alice shouted as we entered the house.

"What?" Esme said nervously, getting out her cell phone.

"Is he okay?" Lexi asked worried.

"He's okay," Alice calmed down. "Someone had an inhaler with them," she sat down. "It could've been a bad one."

"Edward hasn't had an attack in years," Esme informed. "I wonder what happened."

"I'm just glad he's okay," I yawned.

I found myself getting sleepier and sleepier by the minute. I'd been going and going all day. I hadn't had any time to relax.

"I think I'm going to take a little nap," I told the girls.

"Okay," Esme said. "We'll order some pizza for dinner."

I gave Esme a hug and headed for mine and Edward's room. Today had certainly been eventful and I was ready for some down time. I just hoped Edward was okay and would be home soon.


	13. Chapter 13

**EMOTIONAL WARFARE**

**Hey, all! Hope you like. Dollybigmomma polished it for you. :)**

**Chapter 13**

**BELLA**

I went upstairs and immediately changed into some comfy pajamas. I was in the bathroom when I heard some rustling around and walked out to see who it was. It was Edward…trying to peek into the bags I had bought. Once again, I felt his gaze travel down my body, triggering my blush. I started to feel very self-aware and remembered that I didn't have a bra on. He could probably see my nipples.

Why did I even care? He had already seen my tits.

"Come here," Edward growled, yanking me toward him, shocking me out of my inner monologue. He molded my body close to his, attacking my lips with his own before his hands traveled to grope my ass.

In shock, I moved my lips against his, threading my hands through his hair in an attempt to get closer than we already were. Then, I found the back of my knees hitting the frame of the bed. A little confused but a lot more turned on, I found myself topless with Edward over me.

I'd never seen Edward this "take charge" before and I found myself impressed and incredibly turned on. How he growled and how his hands explored my body without being too soft or too firm…amazing.

Mmm.

As soon as I got his shirt off, we found ourselves interrupted by my father calling.

He was being very persistent this time around. I knew he would keep calling if I didn't answer. He couldn't take a hint like my mother.

"Merry belated Christmas," I greeted him.

That was right. My father had forgotten to wish me a Merry Christmas. Not even a text.

"Shit," he hissed like he was embarrassed. "I'm sorry, sweetie," he apologized. "You know I…"

"Of course," I cut him off. I was not in the mood for his bullshit. Plus, he had cock-blocked me so I was already pissed off. "What are you calling for?"

"Why didn't you tell me you had a boyfriend?" he asked.

"You never asked."

"You never said anything," he huffed. "How was I supposed to know?" he asked. "I'm not a mind reader."

"Dad," I huffed in return, "You do realize the longest conversation we've had in five years has only lasted three minutes don't you?"

"You know I'm busy."

"Which is why I don't expect much from you."

"Ouch," he muttered softly.

"The truth hurts," I deadpanned. "Why did you call?" I asked him again.

"I want to visit you," he said.

"I'll get back to school in the next week," I said. "We'll talk then."

"I'll be busy then."

"No surprise there," I sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I meant that I want to visit you while you're in Connecticut," he elaborated.

"What?"

"I think I should at least attempt to get to know this Edward Cullen," he said.

"Dad…" I started, "Let's not…"

"When you say 'Edward Cullen,'" he started, "You don't mean _Cullen Banking_ do you?" he asked.

"If I did…?"

"Wow," he laughed. "Your mother is going to _love_ him."

"No," I said sternly, shaking my head. "Renee' is _not_ meeting Edward or his family if I can help it."

"Good luck," he chuckled. "That woman can smell money and publicity a mile off."

"Well, I'll try my best to keep my name out of the paper," I rolled my eyes.

"I'll be there in the next two days," he promised. "I even cleared my schedule."

Was that supposed to mean something?

"I'm so excited," I deadpanned.

"Don't be like that," he huffed. "Please," he started, "I don't want anyone making any over-the-top allowances for me," he said. "When I'm there, I won't be Charlie. I'll just be your dad."

"Dad," I rolled my eyes, "You'll always be _Charlie_," I finished, whispering his name.

"I don't know why my last name doesn't stick," he laughed.

"That's what happens when people think you're God," I told him. "You don't need a last name."

"I've reached my sarcasm quota for the day," he grumbled. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I'll see you later."

"Sure you will," I humored him. "Bye, Dad."

I had heard it before. There would be a snow day in Hell before Charlie kept a promise. However, I couldn't kill the glimmer of hope that I'd had since I was a little girl that my daddy would choose to spend time with me over working.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked me as I got back into bed.

"It's my dad," I rolled my eyes, "He's still on this whole 'I'm your father and I'm taking an interest in you' thing. He says he's going to fly down in a couple of days to visit."

"Really?" he asked. I tried to hide it, but I heard the speck of excitement in my voice. It was probably because I was so secretive about who he was. If my dad actually came, all Hell would break loose.

"He's full of shit," I laughed. I refused to let myself get excited. It would only hurt worse when he backed out. "He'll plan on coming, then something he deems more important will grab his attention and I'll be old news."

"You don't know that."

Oh, Edward, my sweet, naive Edward…

"Yeah, I do."

"He might surprise you."

"He _**might**_. He'll _**most likely**_ disappoint. I'll believe it when I see it," I huffed. I didn't like talking about it. I didn't want him to get excited, too.

"He'll come," he hugged me to his chest. "You'll see."

I tried to sniff him without being noticed. He had this particular scent that was so…seductive. I loved his scent.

"You're naïveté is part of your charm," I kissed his forearm.

I meant that. Edward had a way about him that loved to see the positive in everybody...even when it was all negative. He was incapable of saying a harsh word against anyone. That was why he couldn't tell when slutty girls were hitting on him. It probably also explained why he couldn't tell that Tanya was such a bitch. To be honest, I wished I had a little of that.

He was so sweet. He hadn't criticized me for being who I was. He kept his promises. He was kind for no apparent reason. He was this gorgeous man who had no idea of the power he had over people. People bent over backwards to help him. He might have been the kindest person I had ever met. He didn't let his fortune go to his head. With as much money as he had, that was a humongous feat. Most in his shoes would have had a sense of entitlement. Edward? He just acted like a regular person. He drove a fucking _Volvo_ for Christ's sake.

"You're cynicism is part of _your_ charm," he grinned.

When you constantly found yourself disappointed, it was hard to take anyone's word seriously.

"I'm proud of my cynicism," I whispered. "It reminds me not to expect too much from people."

I wouldn't get excited. I refused.

To be honest, I wished I was a bit like Edward. It would have been nice not to be such a pessimist all the time. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why anyone wouldn't want an Edward in their life. Who would give someone like Edward up? It was good that Tanya dumped Edward, even if it was during his graduation party…alone…in a parking lot…with an engagement ring in his pocket. He would find someone better who complimented him. Someone his family adored.

I tried to think of a person I would approve of. There weren't any that I could think of. I would just be happy if he was happy; as long as it was not with Tanya. He deserved someone who appreciated his heart, not his money…someone who would do anything for him. Someone like m…

Oh shit.

I liked Edward.

How did this happen?

I had never really liked a boy before. I always thought they were stupid. I had never gotten out of the "cootie" phase. Yeah. I thought men were cute. I had just never pictured myself as part of a couple. It was probably because of my parents.

I immediately stopped that train of thought. If I didn't, I would end up trying to give myself therapy.

Then, I thought of what Heidi had said.

"_They're meant for each other."_

I refused to believe that. God wouldn't be so cruel as to pair up someone as caring as Edward with someone as callous as Tanya. I couldn't help but recall how Heidi had looked at me when she'd said it. She'd stared incredulously, as if to say, _"I can't believe you think you have a chance."_

It wouldn't be so off the wall that Edward would like me. We had been…doing whatever it was we'd been doing the past couple of days. It had actually been nice. At the moment, I was honest with myself and would admit that I looked forward to it a little. Could he feel that way? We had been more affectionate recently.

"Is this real?" I cut off his statement.

"Is what real?" he asked confused.

"This," I motioned between us. "We've been extra…whatever…you know," I blushed. "It feels…different," I rushed, trying to shut up. I felt so damn awkward. "So…"

He stared into space, like he was thinking about something. At that moment, I wished I was a mind reader.

"Like boyfriend and girlfriend?" he asked.

"Maybe?" I answered awkwardly.

Right?

"You want to be my girlfriend?"

"That doesn't matter," I said. I wished he would just give me an answer. I hated this limbo "Do you want to be my boyfriend?"

He looked into my eyes and stared at me. It was like he was studying me. Then, he smiled and I knew the answer.

"Yeah."

I had a boyfriend! Edward was my boyfriend.

I felt so sixth grade right then.

"Okay," I played it cool, kissing his cheek.

"I have a girlfriend… a real one," he puffed out his chest, "One who sends me sexy pictures."

"What? What pictures?" I asked, turning to look at him

I hadn't sent any pictures…

"I didn't send any pictures," I told him.

"You didn't…?" he led off and his eyes got huge, "Never mind."

"Never mind what?" I asked, sitting up to cross my legs so I could stare at him.

"It's…nothing," he croaked, patting his jean pockets.

Whatever he was hiding, it was in his cell phone.

"Are you sure?" I asked, leading him into a false sense of security.

"Yeah," he shrugged his shoulders.

"Fine," I got back into bed. "Come on," I patted the side next to me.

"Good," he breathed, holding me close to him. "I love how your hair smells," he sniffed my hair. "Would you ever consider…"

NOW!

I flipped over to straddle him, pinning him with my legs. "What are you hiding?"

"What are you…?"

"Stop lying!" I reached into his pocket and took his phone, jumping off of him and running into the bathroom.

"Bella!" he ran after me just as I closed and locked the door.

I remembered he had said something about pictures. I opened the picture folder on his phone.

"Give me my phone back, please," he begged.

"Oh, my God!" I shouted as I took a look at the picture of me wearing the blue camisole and underwear, my ass in the air. It must have been taken when I was crawling around on the floor looking for my phone.

"In my defense," he started, knocking on the door, "I thought you sent them."

"Oh, my God," I muttered, sitting on the toilet.

I flipped through the folder to see me in various slinky ensembles, including the red and black corset with the whip, and the black with diamonds lingerie set. You could see the outline of my…

"Oh, my God!" I shouted, dropping the phone.

"I'll delete them. I promise," he bargained. "Don't be mad at me. Please," he begged.

"Oh, my God," I whimpered, shaking my head.

"They looked nice," he said through the door, "If that makes you…"

"Did anyone else see them?" I asked, opening the door.

"No!" he shook his head profusely. "I guarded the phone with my life."

"Oh, my God," I said in disbelief. "Who sent them?"

"It was an unknown number," he said, picking up his phone. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I said. "You've seen me half-naked, anyway," I deadpanned.

"I wouldn't have looked if I knew you didn't send them," he said hugging me. "You don't need to be…"

Wait a minute.

"Let me see that," I grabbed his cell phone. I shook my head, going through the pictures until I found the number that sent it. "Oh, my God!" I shouted.

"What?" he asked nervously. "You aren't mad at me are you?" he asked timidly.

"Excuse me," I smiled, leaving the room.

I stormed down the hallway, until I entered the perpetrator's room.

"Oh, hi!" she smiled, waving. "What did your dad…?"

"I can't believe you!" I cut her off before tackling my best friend onto the bed.

"What?" she asked, covering her face as I started smacking her. "Why are you angry?"

"Why?" I asked, alternating between shaking her and smacking her chest.

We had agreed early on in our friendship that the face was off limits.

"What are you talking about?" she started kicking her legs as she attempted to get me off of her. "Tell me why you're angry. Please!"

"You shouldn't have…"

"No more Ms. Nice Bitch," she huffed before kneeing me in my ribs and rolling us onto the floor.

Ouch!

"Get off me," I whimpered, kicking my legs.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong," she said, grabbing my hands.

"You sent Edward those pictures!" I seethed, biting her thumb so she'd let my hand go.

"I didn't send him anything!" she denied as I took my free hand to smack her chest. "Stop it!"

"It was from your phone!"

"I didn't," she denied, putting her free hand over my mouth. "Calm down," she said.

"Girl on girl!" We both stopped fighting as we heard Emmett talking from the doorway. "Nice."

"You two can stop your catfight now," Alice said. "The pizza is here."

"Fine," we answered awkwardly. At least I mumbled.

"Have you regained your senses?" Victoria asked. I nodded my head. "Good," she let me go and got off of me.

"I can't believe you did that," I shook my head, getting off the floor.

"I didn't do it," she claimed her innocence. "I'd admit it with a smile if I had."

"The pictures came from your phone."

"Can I see them?" she asked. I showed her the pictures

"Damn," she nodded her head, "You're one sexy bitch. You should drop out and become a Victoria's Secret model," she flipped through the pictures.

"Thanks, traitor," I snatched the phone back.

"We can debate later. I'm hungry," she grabbed her stomach. "Put on a bra," she ordered, "Your nips are showing. Save those for Edward," she giggled, leaving the room.

"Oh," I looked in the mirror and found that she was right. The headlights were definitely on.

I walked back to the room and found Edward going through the bags I had bought.

"Find something you like?" I asked, doing nothing to hide my laugh.

"I just…" he paused. "It was…" he started. "You looked nice," he finished, dropping a bag and a black garter fell out. "I need to change," he said, grabbing some clothes and rushing into the bathroom.

I followed suit and rifled through my bags to find something to wear. I settled on a deep purple sweater with ruffles on the side and black skinny jeans. I found a pair of matching purple ankle boots. For accessories, I found a gold bracelet and some vintage Chanel earrings.

"You look pretty," Edward complimented from the door.

"So do you," I smiled as I took him in. He had on a simple white polo and a pair of khakis.

"Why thank you," he said engulfing me in a hug and placing a kiss on my lips. "I can't believe you're my girlfriend," he said.

"I can't believe you're my boyfriend," I smiled as we walked down to dinner.

"I love your outfit, Bella," Alice gave me a thumbs-up.

"You always look so gorgeous," Esme pinched my cheek.

"Sit by us," Lexi and Megan each grabbed Edward and my hands so we could sit by them.

Dinner was laid back tonight. We stuffed our faces and talked about our day.

"Edward," Rose smirked, wiping some sauce off her face, "You look a little flushed."

"Huh?" he asked, turning to me. "Is something on my face?"

"It couldn't be those pictures, could it?" she asked as she and Alice went into a fit of giggles.

"You!" Edward and I shouted, pointing fingers.

"It wasn't me," Victoria huffed, dipping her breadstick into some marinara sauce. "I told you."

"My battery died so I borrowed Victoria's phone," Rose admitted like it was nothing.

"What pictures?" Emmett asked.

"Nothing," Edward and I said quickly, causing Alice and Rose to laugh louder.

"Come on," Emmett encouraged.

"Dum dum-du-duuuuum….Dum-dum-du-duuuuum," Edward started to hum nonchalantly.

Why was he humming _Here Comes the Bride_?

"Never mind," Emmett rushed, stuffing his mouth with pizza.

"Emmett!" Rose hissed, smacking him just as the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Carlisle volunteered. "I wonder who it is."

"Who would come at this time of…?" Esme started.

"I know she's in here," we all heard James say as his voice got closer.

"I'm not here," Vic whispered, jumping up from the table and darting down the hall.

"Victoria!" James shouted coming into the dining room. "Shit."

"Language," Alice and Rose hissed, pointing to the girls at the table.

"She's not here," I lied.

"Liar," he shook his head, "There's an extra place setting on the table."

"Look who's a detective," Esme rolled her eyes.

"I just want to give her these," James pulled a huge bouquet of roses from behind his back and placed them on her chair.

"You give flowers?" Alice asked confused.

"Awww…" Esme smiled. I could tell she was about to tell where Victoria was.

"I'll tell her you brought those to her," I patted him on the back.

"Okay," he huffed. "I'll see you later. My mom says hello," he waved.

"What was that?" Carlisle asked, pointing to the door after James left.

"Victoria must be a five-star lay," Rose muttered, taking a bite of pizza.

"He'll catch her sooner or later," Edward laughed.

"Probably not," I shook my head. "No one can play hide and seek like Victoria can," I told them. "It'll be interesting."

We ate for another ten minutes before Esme started to become worried.

"Where's Victoria?" she looked around. "Is she lost?"

"I'll find her," I got up from the table. "I have experience in Victoria hunting," I smiled, walking down the hall.

The trick to finding Victoria was to look in the most taboo place you could think of. Looking in off-the-wall places wouldn't work with her. She knew that tactic.

"Vic?" I asked, looking in the hallway closet. "Victoria?" I called, looking under a pool table and behind one of the giant plasma TV screens.

I called to her for another couple of minutes until I spotted what looked to be Carlisle and Esme's bedroom. Bingo. Victoria had no boundaries. Therefore, she would find no problem in hiding in someone's panty drawer.

"Viiiiiccctooooria," I sang out, walking into the room. "James is gone. You can come out now," I called out.

"Ollie-ollie oxen free!" I called out, walking into their closet. There was a mysterious lump in the section of Esme's gowns. "Gotcha, bitch!" I laughed, separating the clothes to find my friend curled up in a ball.

"Is he still here?" she asked, hopping off the rack.

"No," I laughed. "Now spill," I ordered. "I've talked about Edward."

"Fine," she huffed, leaning against the island in Carlisle and Esme's closet. "You know how I met up with you guys on Christmas?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"I got lonely after you left," she admitted. "I missed you, and I wanted to crash. So, I gave my parole officer a hand job, and he agreed to let me leave the state."

"Victoria!" I said in shock.

"Eh…" she waved it off. "It wasn't that bad. I just have to take a drug test when I get back," she said. "I got here around five o'clock on Christmas. I thought about calling you, but I changed my mind."

"I would've come and visited you," I told her.

"I know," she rolled her eyes. "It was your first night here. I didn't want to intrude."

"You could never intrude on me," I hugged her.

"Anyway," she started again, "I get out of the car and I know I'm looking hot. Daddy called ahead and was able to get me the Presidential Suite at The Four Seasons," she smiled. "I was checking into my room when I saw him," she looked into the distance. "He was fucking the shit out of me with his eyes," she giggled. "So, I walked over and introduced myself," her smile turned sinister.

"You fucked?" I took a wild guess.

"Let me finish," she stomped her foot. "Anyway, I turn on my charm and he invites me to have an early dinner with him at the restaurant in the hotel," she huffed. "Dinner comes around and I'm expecting a little food and a lot of sex," she started, "But he turns out to be kind of sweet," she informed, like she was surprised. "We talk about our folks. He had shitty parental figures like us that left him almost as emotionally scarred. We really had a heart-to-heart. Next thing I know, it's nine o'clock at night," she face-palmed herself.

"What's wrong with that?" I asked.

"That's not the worst part," she told me. "He reached over the table to touch my hand, and there was a _spark_," she finished.

"Really?" I smiled.

"Yeah," she deadpanned. "I smiled at him."

"No."

"Yes," she huffed. "My stomach started to feel all funny and shit. So I asked him if he wanted to fuck," she waved it off. "He said yes."

"Huh?"

"I figured I just needed to get laid and it'd go away."

"Well…" I started.

"So we go back to my room and start fooling around," she started fanning herself. "He ate my pussy like it was a national pastime. Seriously, best ever," she sighed.

"Vic…"

"So I start going down on him… his cock is mass…"

"TMI!" I shouted, covering my ears.

"It's almost over," she swatted my arms away. "Anyway, I'm…you know…and I get a phone call. I'm like 'whatever' and keep going. It rings again. So, I picked it up. It was you."

"Ooh," I cringed, "Sorry for the cock-block."

"No biggie," she shrugged. "So, I'm talking to you and jerking him…"

"Victoria!"

"Sorry," she shook her head. "We get done talking and he picks me up all Fabio-like and places me all gentle and shit on the bed. He's looking into my eyes and shit…" she paused, "and I felt something."

"Yeeeah," I drew out, "His penis."

"No," she shook her head, "Something here," she pointed to her heart.

"Oh," my eyes got big.

Victoria basically used men as her own personal sex slaves. She'd never had a boyfriend. Ever. Not that no guys had ever been interested. She'd just never cared about any guy enough to waste her time.

"Exactly," she crossed her arms, "Victoria Green doesn't _feel_."

"What happened?"

"I pushed him off me and kicked him out," she admitted. "I had to get it out of my head, so I went clubbing," she said. "I got a couple of drinks and this hot guy started grinding on me. Then, out of nowhere, James comes out and punches the guy in his face!" she threw her hands in the air. "He's all like, 'That's my woman,' and I'm like, 'I just met you like six hours ago. You're crazy!'" She stopped for a breath. "Anyway, we get in a huge fight and almost get kicked out…until you, Edward, and the gang showed up," she sighed. "Now, every time I see the guy, I just run," she waved it off. "It'll pass."

"You like James," I said smiling.

"I don't like him."

"You love him," I poked her.

"Stop," she deadpanned, "I'm an eternal bachelorette."

"He brought you flowers," I told her quietly. "Roses," I added, "Big ones."

"Really?" she beamed.

"You're such a liar," I told her. "You totally like James."

"No, I don't."

"Do, too."

"So?" she crossed her arms. "You're in love with Edward!"

"Whoa," I stepped back. "I'm not _in love_ with Edward. I like him."

"You admit to liking him?"

"Yeah," I waved it off. "We became official like two hours ago."

"That's great!" she hugged me. "Now, all we have to do is lose that V-card," her smirk turned evil.

"You should give James a chance," I told her.

"We live in two different states," she listed as a con. "We're both assholes," she listed as a second. "You can only have one asshole in a relationship. That position is filled…by me."

"It'd be one date," I told her.

"Humph," she crossed her arms.

"Promise me you'll think about it," I put up my pinky.

"Promise," she wrapped her finger around mine and her stomach growled. "I'm going back out. I'm still hungry."

"Okay," I patted her ass as she walked out of the room.

"Crazy kids," I muttered, walking back into the main bedroom.

I walked by the bed and found my heel slipping over the corner of a cashmere blanket that was on the floor. My body flew forward, and I grabbed onto the chest of drawers for support. I fell anyway, taking Esme's jewelry box with me.

"Ouch!" I hissed, grabbing my knee. That would definitely leave a mark.

I bent down to pick up the spilled box and found that Esme had excellent taste in jewelry. Carlisle must have, too, because some of the jewelry said 'Happy Birthday' and 'Happy Anniversary' by the looks of it. I took my time putting the pieces back by color. When I thought I was done, I got back on the floor to check if anything else had fallen out of the box.

"Oh," I squeaked as I spotted a blue velvet box underneath the corner of the bed. I scooted under the bed to retrieve it. Out of curiosity, I opened the box to find a yellow gold diamond ring. It was not particularly big or small. It was a simple ring with a gold band and a diamond in the middle. No bells. No frills. It was very delicate. It looked like it was probably an antique.

It was absolutely beautiful.

"Pretty," I whispered, taking the ring out of the box. The size was so small I wondered if Esme's finger could even fit in it. Once again, curiosity got the better of me, and I tried the ring on. "Would you look at that?" I whispered. It fit.

Plus, it went with my outfit.

I looked at the ring on my hand in the mirror and marveled at the diamond shining in the light.

"Where have you been?" I heard Edward ask me from the doorway.

"Oh," I put my hand behind my back, "I slipped and knocked some stuff over," I said pointing to the jewelry chest. "I was putting it back. I'll be back in a minute."

"That's my grandmother's engagement ring," Edward said.

"Huh?"

"The ring you have on that you're trying to hide from me," he pointed to my hand's reflection in the mirror, "It's my Grandma Masen's ring."

"Shit," I hissed, trying to pull the ring off my finger, "I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he laughed. "I guess we're even. You caught me looking at your panties. I caught you trying on a family heirloom," he said smiling.

"This is more embarrassing," I argued, trying to get the ring off. Damn thing wouldn't budge.

"It looks nice on you," he complimented, looking at the ring on my hand. "Tanya didn't like it," he told me.

"Why?" I looked at the ring. "It's so beautiful."

"She said it was too plain…and gold."

"That's what makes it beautiful," I held my hand up to look at the ring again. "How could she not like it?"

"Rose doesn't want it, either," he chuckled. "That's probably why she and Emmett eloped in Vegas."

"They what?" I shouted.

Esme was going to kill them.

"Shit," he hissed, "I wasn't supposed to tell."

"That's why you were humming that song," I realized.

"Yeah," he took my hand and tried to get the ring off. "What's the point of having dirt if you can't hold it over their heads?" he smirked.

"I don't have any siblings so I wouldn't know," I shrugged my shoulders, licking the base of my finger.

"It's on there pretty good," Edward laughed at me. "We need to find some lotion," he looked around. "Thief," he whispered, knowing I could hear.

"Panty sniffer," I retorted laughing.

"I didn't sniff them," he placed a kiss on my lips. "I simply looked at them while you weren't looking."

"Is there a difference?" I asked.

"I'll show you a difference," he got that look in his eyes.

"Don't you dare," I put my hands up in defense. It was no use.

He started to tickle me.

"S-s-s-s-s-t-t-t-o-o-p!" I whimpered, giggling and kicking.

"No," he shook his head. "Take it back."

"P-p-p-panty s-s-sn-i-ifer!" I managed to call out.

"Well, fine," he pinned me against the wall and started to kiss me.

"Here they are!" Alice called out. "They're making out in mom and dad's room," she informed.

"Alice!" Edward huffed, rolling his eyes.

"Gosh, Bella," Alice tisked, "It seems I'm always catching you groping my brother," she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, God, Alice," I face-palmed myself, shaking my head.

"Oh…my God!" Alice raced over to me and started jumping up and down.

"What?"

"I knew it!" she shouted. "I so knew it!" she hugged me. "Mommy! Daddy!" she called. "Everybody!"

"Alice…" I tried to interrupt her jumping.

"What are you…?" Edward started.

"What, sweetie?" Esme asked, coming into the room.

"Look!" she held up my hand.

"Edward," Esme whispered as tears welled in her eyes. "I can't believe it!" She quickly engulfed Edward and me into a hug.

I didn't get it.

"Uh…"

"Rose and I got married two weeks ago!" Emmett shouted as everyone started screaming.

"Yaaay," Lexi and Megan ran past Emmett to me and Edward and hugged us.

"Does this mean you're our auntie now?" Megan asked.

"I'm…" I stammered, not sure what to say.

Then, I realized…

I was wearing Edward's grandmother's ring…on my left hand…on the third finger…

"Oh, shit," Victoria whispered, looking between me and Edward.

"Mom…" Edward looked at me.

Yeah…he'd just realized it, too.

"Let's not smother the children," Carlisle beamed, patting his youngest son on the back. "Let them celebrate," he said, ushering everyone out of the room. "Just not in our room, Son," he smiled.

"Oh shit," I moaned, sitting down on the bed.

"Too far," Edward whispered as he started to shake. "Too far," he repeated, "Too far..."

"Oh, my God," I sighed, looking at my hand.

"I have to…" he got up slowly. "I have to go…tell them…" he muttered.

"I'll do it," I said.

I was the one who had tried on the damn ring, so I should have to do it. Edward wasn't coherent enough to do anything, anyway.

"This…too far," he whispered, shaking his head. "Toooo far..."

Yeah. He'd lost it.

"I'll be right back," I told him.

"Okay," he nodded with me, still freaking out, "Too far…"

I walked out of the room, trying to get the ring off of my finger. It was like it was possessed or something. It wouldn't come off. I knew it would be better if I didn't still have the ring on when I told everyone.

"Bella," Esme called to me from down the hall, wiping her eyes.

"Yes?"

This was going to be so awkward. She liked me, too.

"Can I tell you something?" she asked, leading us to the sofa and sitting down.

"Okay," I sat down with her. I would let her go first. That way I could work up my nerve. "I need to say something, too."

"I love you so much," she smiled, hugging me close.

"I love you, too," I told her. "You're a great mom."

"I haven't felt like it," she said sadly.

"Why?"

"If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell Edward?" she asked.

"Is it bad?" I asked. I was not sure if I'd be able to keep something from him if it was horrid. People should know about that kind of stuff.

"It's not terrible," she sniffed. "I don't think, anyway."

"Okay," I agreed, and regretted it immediately.

"I _hate_ the Denali's. I _really_ do," she confessed. "The only reason I tolerate them is because Carlisle is friends with Alec," she said in one breath.

"There isn't much to like," I agreed with her.

"When Edward started dating Tanya, it was a nightmare," she held my hand. "She's rude, disrespectful, vain, and selfish," she hissed. "She treated Edward horribly, but he just couldn't see it. Somehow, she made him happy and I couldn't fathom why," she cried. "The day Edward graduated; he told me he was going to propose. I wanted to cry I…I was so upset," she told me. "She would've made him miserable. I tried to talk him out of it. I did. But he was so set on it," she sighed.

"So, I sat in my chair at the restaurant and I prayed," she admitted. "I said a short prayer, begging God to let Edward change his mind. I didn't want that woman to marry my baby," she paused. "I didn't think he'd get his heartbroken. When I saw him crying in the parking lot, my heart shattered into a million pieces. No mother likes to see her child in pain. He looked so broken and lost. I felt like it was my fault. What mother would wish that on her child?" she sniffled. "He wouldn't eat. He wouldn't sleep. He lost so much weight. He looked like a shell of the man he once was. Carlisle and I were actually worried that he'd…" she paused to wipe her tears with a napkin, "That he'd…"

Oh God.

"Esme," I stopped her, patting her back.

"It got to the point where I prayed that they'd get back together. It didn't matter that I knew she didn't love him. As long as he was happy again," she started again. "When he went back to school, he stopped calling. He never visited. We were worried sick," she whimpered. "Then, we found out about you," she touched my face with her hand. "Honestly, I didn't expect much. I figured you were just a rebound. Sorry," she apologized.

"No offense taken," I said.

"But you two are just so meant to be," she smiled at me. "You're beautiful. You're smart. You accept him as he is. You aren't pretentious. You're good with kids. You're such a good person…a genuinely good person," she told me. "You're everything a mother wants for her son. I'm just so happy that God put you in my son's path, and I'm so happy to welcome you into our family," she went to hug me one more time.

"Oh…" I paused, hugging her back.

"I just wanted to tell you that," she wiped away the last of her tears. "So, what did you want to say?"

"Uh…" I paused, "I'm just so happy," I smiled, hugging her again.

What? You didn't expect me to tell her the truth after that speech did you?


	14. Chapter 14

**EMOTIONAL WARFARE**

**Hey, guys! Your reviews and well wishes gave me the strength and motivation to finish the update. I hope you like it. Reviews make me happy. Dollybigmomma took a week to beta this, but we forgive her, right? **

**Chapter 14**

**EDWARD**

Shit.

Too far…

This had gone entirely too far.

I never thought it would go this far. Everyone thought Bella and I were engaged. We'd only been boyfriend and girlfriend for two and a half hours. Wasn't that a bit too fast?

First, I was enjoying my new-couple bliss until James interrupted dinner and Victoria ran off to hide somewhere. Bella, being the only person who really knew Victoria, went to find her best friend. After another twenty minutes and another lost person, I went to see where they were. I didn't find Victoria, but I found Bella with my great-grandmother's ring on. At first, I didn't think too much of it. I mean, rings got stuck all the time. It wasn't until everyone started cheering, clapping, and calling Bella "Auntie" that I realized said ring was on her wedding ring finger.

Shit.

Now I had to tell them. Having them think I had an awesome new girlfriend, which I now officially did, was one thing. But…having them think that I was engaged…that was evil. I didn't think I could pull that off.

Not a chance in Hell.

Bella, sensing my impending psychotic breakdown, volunteered to break the news to my mother. That was going to be the worst. My mom was a crier. She cried at every appropriate opportunity - the endings of movies, those commercials about African orphans, it didn't matter, she cried. She was just an emotional person. Even though my mother crying wasn't a rare occasion in this family, I'd never seen her cry like she did when she thought I'd proposed to Bella. She looked…proud? Relieved? I couldn't really put my finger on it, but it was different. It killed me that this would disappoint her so badly.

I walked back into the dining room to the shocked, happy, and eager faces of my family…and Victoria's face of confusion.

"Edward," she paused, smelling the roses that James had left for her. I didn't know what she had done to him, but that guy was slowly becoming obsessed with her. I mean…he gave her _flowers_. In the eleventh grade, some chick had to be committed to a mental institution when he dumped her before the junior prom. Now _he _was chasing a girl. "EDWARD!" Vic poked my chest, bringing me back to Earth.

"Huh?" I sighed.

"Uh…what the fuck happened?" she whispered. "I leave Bella for literally one minute and now you're engaged?" she asked, looking around to see who was near.

"It's a misunderstanding," I confided. "She tried on my great-grandmother's wedding ring, not knowing what it was. It got stuck. Alice came in at the wrong time," I pinched the bridge of my nose.

I must have really been stressed.

"What's going to happen now?"

"Come clean," I sighed, shrugging my shoulders. "This is too far."

"Shit," she giggled after a short silence

She was giggling.

"What?" I asked confused.

"I-I-I'm s-s-sorry," she chuckled, holding her stomach. "I-I-I m-mean…" she took a breath, "This would only happen to you guys," she started again. "I-I-I swear…you t-t-two have the w-w-worst luck ever!" she gasped between giggles as she wiped a rogue tear from her eye.

"Awww…" Rose came by, giving Victoria a tissue, "It's wonderful, isn't it?" she asked.

"Something like that," Vic dabbed her tears of laughter from her eyes.

"It's good that you and Bella are so close," Rose smiled. "It's rare that you see a close friendship like you two have."

"Thanks," she hugged Rose. I could see her face was red…from trying not to laugh. "I just never thought _this_ would happen," she added, covering her mouth with the tissue. "I'm just…glad I was here to witness it," she started chuckling again, though this time she disguised it as crying.

"Is that James?" I asked, turning towards the door. When I looked back to Rose, Vic was gone. I actually felt a gust of wind from her escape.

"She's good," Rose whispered as the tissue Victoria had been holding floated to the ground.

Served her right…

"Edward," dad came over and wrapped me in a tight hug, "Bella's a remarkable woman, Son," he congratulated me. "You're a lucky man."

"Yep," Emmett came and clapped me on the back, "Women like Bella and my Rosie don't grow on trees. That's for sure," he rubbed my shoulders.

"She's a keeper," Jazz added with a smile.

"She'll make a wonderful addition to the family," dad patted me on the back beaming. "You've made your mother and me so proud."

"Oh, my God," Alice came in, exhaling out of what sounded like relief, "I'm so happy you chose Bella and not that harpy," she smiled, hugging me. "I knew Bella was the one," she gloated. "When Jasper, Lexi, and I were driving home from dinner at _Shout,_ I said, 'Edward is going to marry her,'" she grinned. "Didn't I, Jazz?"

"She did," Jazz laughed.

"She's so much better than Tanya," Lexi gave her opinion. "Tanya was mean and never talked to me. Plus, her cat always scratched me," she complained.

"She's a Barbie-destroying whore," Alice seethed. "It's okay because you've got someone much better now, anyway."

"I didn't like her, either," Megan huffed and crossed her arms. "Mommy calls her 'tetherball titties,'" she giggled, causing Rose to blush.

"What?" Rose asked as we all stared at her. "That's the worst boob job I've ever seen."

They all started laughing, and guilt immediately consumed me. They were all smiling and happy. Little did they know that the source of their joy and laughter was a huge lie; a lie that would be exposed any minute. At this moment, I wished that I had come here alone. I could only imagine how they would treat me once they found out I'd had to bribe a friend to come here with me.

My internal monologue was interrupted by the sound of my mother's laughter as she and Bella entered the room.

They were laughing?

Why were they laughing?

I was confused.

"Mom," I walked to her, "I'm so sorry…"

"…That I didn't meet you guys sooner," Bella interrupted me. "I love you," she looked into my eyes and delved in for a kiss. On instinct, I wrapped my arms around her hips and brought her closer, hating the small distance between us. Hungrily, my tongue entered her mouth, eager to taste her once again. She was so…I couldn't explain it. Kissing her was so organic. I loved it. "Oh," she separated to take a breath and wiped the smeared lip gloss from my mouth, a naughty smirk playing at the corners of her lips.

What had I been thinking about?

Bella…ring…mom…

Oh, yeah!

"Bella…"

"Edward," she closed the distance between us this time, ravaging my mouth. I willingly complied with the invasion.

Then, dad coughed.

"Sorry," she broke away from me and went to hug me. "We'll talk later," she whispered quickly in my ear.

"Young love," mom wiped a tear from her eyes. "I'm so…gah!" she finished, pulling me and Bella in for a hug. Then, everyone joined.

Oh, God…Bella didn't tell her.

"Uh…" I started, after we all separated. Then, Bella gave me "The look." You know the one. The look every woman had that said, "Don't you fucking dare."

I didn't dare.

"This calls for dessert!" mom clapped and we all moved into the kitchen. She rummaged through the refrigerator and came out with a covered dish of some sort. "I know I don't make this a lot," she said, taking the German chocolate cake out of the dish.

"What?" dad gasped, his eyes lighting up.

"No way!" Alice jumped in excitement.

"I haven't had this since 2004!" Emmett shouted, grabbing a fork. Not a plate. Just a fork.

Pecan pie was the favorite dessert of the Cullen family. But German chocolate cake ran a close second. It was three layers of moist chocolate cake with homemade icing in the middle. The icing was made with every nut you could think of. Peanuts. Walnuts. Pecans. Almonds. She roasted them and then put some on top with chocolate and caramel. It was…amazing. Mom rarely made it. It was mostly because so much preparation went into it.

"I was saving it until the dinner party tomorrow," she gushed, "But this is a much better occasion." She grabbed plates, passing cake around to everyone, "I made it this morning before breakfast."

"Cool, thanks!" I grabbed a plate and took a bite. Heaven. Then, I realized something. "Um, Mom, Bella can't have nuts," I reminded her, thinking about the story Bella had told me about the Payday bar she had eaten and almost died.

"Which is why I made her a Godiva Chocolate cake…just for her," she smiled, handing Bella a small cake and a spoon.

"Thanks," Bella smiled, staring at the cake. She looked scared.

"Don't worry," mom said as she got the milk from the fridge, "I made it with a different bowl, spoon, and measuring cups," she patted Bella's shoulder. "There are no traces of nuts in there."

"Okay," Bella took a bite and chewed for a second. "It's amazing," she moaned and rolled her eyes. "Thank you."

"Bella, I almost forgot," Alice chimed in, "We need to start practicing for the karaoke competition. We only have three days!"

"Oh," my 'fiancée'' said in a somewhat deflated tone. She looked at me from the corner of her eye and quickly returned her attention to Alice. I felt sorry for Bella. Alice took the annual karaoke competition seriously. Besides, Bella didn't strike me as a person who liked to sing and dance in front of other people.

"The theme this year is…" Alice paused for dramatic effect, "'Goo-goo for Gaga,'" she started clapping.

"We need to start practicing if we want to beat the Denali's," Rose said, licking her fork.

"I swear they bribed the judges last year," Alice pouted and crossed her arms.

"Oh, God," I rolled my eyes.

"You're still mad?" Emmett asked laughing.

"We should've won!" Rose crossed her arms. "Catholic schoolgirl outfits for Britney Spears?" she asked sarcastically in mock excitement, "How revolutionary!"

"What did you guys do?" Bella asked.

Last year, Britney Spears had been the theme of the contest. Alice and Rose worked for days on their routine. Theatrical makeup had been involved. I'd thought Alice had suffered an aneurysm when they lost.

"We did Circus…but with a demented theme. Alice and I were these circus-slash-carnival freaks. It had somewhat of a Disturbia vibe," Rose informed.

"We were 'effin' awesome," Alice huffed. "I still can't believe we lost."

"There's always this year," Bella pulled the girls into a group hug. "With me and Victoria…"

"Um, about that…" Alice started.

"We didn't know Vic was coming so we only signed the three of us up," Rose admitted awkwardly. "We can't add her now."

"Harsh," Jasper shook his head.

"I'm not telling her," Bella raised her arms in surrender. "It's a shame, too. Vic is the most competitive person I've ever encountered. She'd sell her own mother if it got her a big enough trophy," she giggled.

"Her and Alice would make a good team," Emmett chuckled.

"Okay, you two," dad came back into the kitchen with the camera.

"I want a picture to immortalize this moment," mom beamed, making sure Bella and I was in the right pose.

Oh, God…she wanted pictures.

It was worse than I thought.

Was that possible?

"Smile," dad ordered.

"Cheeeese," Bella and I said in unison as Bella put her hand on my chest and kissed my cheek. I couldn't help the grin that came across my face.

"Oh," mom started tearing up as she looked at the image. "Another one," she told dad and he took another picture…then ten more.

"That's enough, Mom," Emmett rescued us, bless him. "Save it for the wedding." Damn him.

"Yes!" Alice shouted. "I can't wait until we start planning the wedding," she clapped. "What season, Bella? What colors?" she asked, excited. "You're going to be so pretty."

"Aww," Bella smiled awkwardly. "Let's just focus on tonight," she grinned, placing a light kiss on my lips.

"Would it be okay if I helped?" Alice asked. "Since EMMETT AND ROSE GOT MARRIED AND DIDN'T TELL ANYBODY!" she punched Em in his junk.

"Ouch!" my brother howled in pain.

How did she find out?

"WHAT?" mom asked, Rose smacking my brother across his head.

"I…" Emmett choked.

"He rushed it out when we found out about Edward and Bella because he thought we were distracted," Alice put her hands on her hips.

"Emmett…" mom asked, lip quivering and touching her chest, "Why?"

"We wanted a small wedding," Rose interjected. "We didn't mean to hurt anyone."

"You didn't even invite your own family," dad shook his head.

"I can't believe you two could be so selfish!" Alice cried.

"Let's go upstairs," Bella whispered in my ear as my family screamed at Emmett and Rosalie. "We can talk."

"Good," I agreed, following her out of the kitchen and upstairs.

The walk to the room seemed to last for an eternity. It wasn't that bad because I got to look at Bella's ass as she went up the stairs.

It really was wonderful.

I wondered what it would look like in that lingerie she'd bought.

Hmmm…

"Okay," she turned around, sitting down with a huff, "Let me have it," she lay back dramatically on the bed.

"Ouch!" we heard someone screeching.

"What the…?" I looked under the bed to find Victoria.

"Is he gone?" she asked. I still couldn't see her. I only knew she was under the bed because I could hear her.

Damn, she was good.

"He left before I found you in Carlisle and Esme's room," Bella looked under the bed. "Get out from under there," she ordered, pulling her friend from the floor.

"He's been gone the whole time?" Vic asked me, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh…" I paused.

"Well played, Edward," she smiled out of respect, "Well played," she patted my back and left the room.

"She hasn't forgotten, you know. She'll get you back," Bella smiled.

"Damn," I sat down in a nearby chair.

"So," Bella sat back on the bed again, "Let's kill the elephant in the room."

About that…

"Bella," I sighed, running my fingers through my hair, "What happened?"

"I'm so sorry," she apologized, crawling over to sit on my lap.

"It's just…"

"I tried to tell her…I was going to. She cried, Edward. We started talking and…and she cried!"

"She does that."

"Why didn't you tell me she was a crier?" she huffed at me. "I wasn't prepared for that."

"You always have to tell my mom bad news first," I shook my head. "I can't believe this has happened," I groaned, looking at the wall. "We have to tell them."

"No!" she shouted, holding my face in her hands. "She's so proud, Edward. It'd kill her."

"If…no, WHEN she finds out that this is a sham, _that_ will _definitely_ kill her."

Seeing my mom cry was unbearable. When she found out, it might destroy her.

"She won't find out," Bella promised.

"Bella…" I led off.

"Edward, we can't tell her," she interrupted, shaking her head profusely.

"What's the alternative?" I asked, "Get married? We've only been dating four hours!"

"There's a way around that," she rolled her eyes. "People have long engagements all the time."

"Well…this will be a really loooooooooong engagement."

"We're only going to be here for three more days," she informed.

"So…?"

"We hold them off," she started to plan. "When they visit, I'll be there. Later, one of us gets cold feet. We break up. We get back together. The other gets cold feet. We get back together. The cycle repeats."

"Bella," I raised my eyebrow, "This lie could last for years."

"I know," she smiled. "That's the beauty of it."

"That's extreme."

"We're already together," she pointed out. "It's not _that_ big of a lie."

"Going from being a couple for four hours…to being engaged is a _pretty_ big journey from the truth."

"It's either break your family's hearts now…or pretend to be engaged for the foreseeable future," she weighed each option on her hands. "Take your pick."

I rested my head on her shoulder and thought about what I wanted to do. It would be nice for my mother not to have a stroke this week, and she liked Bella. This would also help alleviate her worries about me being alone. Besides, we were together, anyway. We weren't engaged, but it wouldn't be like we were strangers.

"It _has_ been going pretty well so far," I reasoned.

"Very well," she nodded her head.

"Fine," I relented.

"Good," she sighed, kissing me.

I hoped this didn't end badly…at least not _that_ badly.

Right…

This ending horribly was inevitable.

"Oh, God," I whimpered.

"We'll be fine," she got up from my lap, "I promise."

"We'd better be," I mocked in warning as she took my hand.

"Shush," she waved it off.

"I need to rest," I sighed, lying back on the bed.

"Me, too," she yawned. "I never got my nap," she eyed me giggling. "You interrupted me."

"You loved it," I joked, getting up to look in my suitcase.

"Yeah, yeah," she retorted, closing the door.

I found a black sleep shirt and some flannel pants, dressing before I jumped into bed. I definitely needed to get some…"Oh, my God," I gasped.

"What?" she asked, all innocent-like.

"You…" I started, pointing to her outfit, "You have on…"

It was the blue lingerie…from the pictures…the picture where Bella was on all-fours. She was wearing it...in real life…in front of me.

I was hard.

Again.

This was so embarrassing.

"This?" she motioned to her outfit. "It's just some pajamas I bought today," she waved it off.

"It's…it's…you…"

"Huh?" she smiled. "I don't know what you're mumbling about," she got under the covers.

"You…you…" Oh, God, I was tanking out here. "You look nice," I blurted out, scooting away from her.

"Oh," she said softly, pulling the covers over herself. "Thanks," she mumbled, turning off the lamp on her bedside table. "Goodnight," I heard her say as she laid her head on her pillow.

"Goodnight," I said back.

"Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"For the record…" I didn't know how, but I could tell she was smiling even though her back was turned to me, "Any girl would be lucky to marry you."

"Any man would be luck to marry you," I whispered back.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked. I heard fear in her voice.

"No," I quickly replied, turning over to face…her back. "I'm just…overwhelmed. That's all."

"We can tell them together," she offered. "Do you think Esme and Carlisle will be mad at me?"

"I don't think so," I sighed. "They love you."

"I just don't want them to be mad at me," she turned around to look at me. "Plus…oh!" she whispered.

What was she looking at?

I followed her focus to see that she was staring at my boner.

It was still there.

"You have an e…"

"Shit," I covered myself with a pillow.

What did she expect? She was the one that came out here wearing that lingerie.

"Edward…"

"This is so embarrassing," I put another pillow over me. "I mean you're the one…"

"That's so hot," she interrupted me, throwing the pillows off me to the floor and straddling me. "Shit," she pulled me in for a kiss.

"Whoa," I gasped.

"Oh," she stopped. "Is this…okay?" she asked, placing her hands on my chest.

"Fuck yeah!" I flipped her over and attacked her neck with my lips.

"Okay," she giggled, running her hands under my shirt and I raised my hands to help her rid me of it. As she ran her fingers over my chest, I started to feel a little self-conscious. It was not like she hadn't seen me without a shirt. We just weren't in a relationship then. Would she judge me differently now that we were?

"Is something wrong?" she asked, separating to catch her breath. "You're acting different," she noticed, putting one of her small hands on my cheek.

"Not really," I shook my head. "I'm not…built or anything like that. I'm hairy," I shrugged.

"Ouch!" I immediately rubbed my sore nipple.

She'd given me a purple nurple!

"You're degrading yourself at a time like this?" she asked, looking me in my eye. "I like your hairy chest," she told me, running her fingers through the hair. "It's all manly," she smiled. "Plus, I'd take toned over muscle-bound any day. Too many muscles look weird," she shook her head in disgust. "Now, kiss me to make up for pissing me off," she ordered, putting her arms around my neck.

I quickly complied with her order. Her soft lips curled into a smile as I ghosted my tongue around her bottom lip, seeking invitation. Her smile widened, accepting my advances and her tongue soon began battling my own for dominance. Neither of us won; each taking pleasure in tasting the other. Her hands moved to my back to bring us closer as I moved my lips from her mouth to her neck.

"So soft," I mumbled as I placed a kiss on her breast through the thin fabric of her top. I felt her nipple harden under my lips as I reached my hand to massage her other breast.

"Yes," she whispered, arching her back and grinding her hips into my erection. Acting from instinct and passion, I started grinding my hips into hers, finding pleasure in the friction that allowed us. I felt the dampness of her arousal against my pants, making me harder.

"Shit," I groaned as she lifted her arms and I took off her cami to expose her breasts to me. She was so beautiful. "Perfect," I told her softly, taking one of her rosy peaks into my mouth and pinched the other between my fingers.

"Edward," she gasped, grinding her hips into me harder and quickening the pace. One hand twisted itself into my hair, as the other moved to cover my hand. "More," she whispered in my ear, taking my hand and moving it down her stomach to the crotch of her panties. "Touch me," she said against my lips.

She wanted me to touch her…down there.

Oh, God…

"Y-you sure?" I asked.

Maybe I didn't hear her right.

"Yeah," she ground against my hand.

"O-okay." I slowly moved my hand to run my finger along her slit. She yelped at my touch, grinding her hips harder. My finger toyed with the lace around the border of her panties. These needed to come off. Now. "Can I…?" I indicated my desire, stretching the fabric.

"Mmm yeah." She lifted her hips up as I slid the material down her legs leaving her bare…completely.

Wow.

The soft light from the crack under the bathroom door and the dim lamp in the otherwise dark room cast a delicate glow on her alabaster skin. I reverently admired her plump lips, her heaving breasts, her quivering stomach, and the small patch of curls on her sex, it was all perfection. I always knew Bella was stunning. But seeing her like this, no words could describe how beautiful she looked at this moment.

"What?" she blushed, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Nothing," I shook my head as my eyes traveled down her exquisite form to take in her soaked sex.

"Mmm," she moaned as I cupped her curls in my hand. I ran a finger along her slit, slowly entering the digit inside her. "Oh, God!" she gasped as I stroked her walls. Feeling her passion heighten with every pass, I spread her wetness, massaging her clit with her arousal. "Gah!" she shrieked as I added another finger, still massaging her clit with my thumb. "Edward," she grabbed the sheets, biting her lip, my lip, into her mouth.

"Bella," I moaned, moving to kiss her. Her hand grabbed my neck, holding me to her mouth as she ravaged my mouth with kisses.

"I'm…" she whispered against my lips as she started riding my hand faster. I felt her tightening around my fingers so I worked her faster, curling my fingers as if I was beckoning her orgasm. "Edward!" she cried out, arching off the bed as I felt her walls spasm around my fingers. "Ah," she sighed, hugging me close to her.

Oh my…

I had just given Bella an orgasm.

Score!

I couldn't hide the look of pride on my face as I saw her entire face blush a bright red. I couldn't help it. I licked her climax from my fingers as she closed her eyes. I didn't want to freak her out.

"Wow," she smiled, opening her eyes to mine. "You look pretty proud of yourself," she giggled.

"I am," I kissed her.

"You should be," she smiled, her hand grabbing my cock through my pants.

"You don't have to…" I put my hand over hers. I didn't want her to feel like she had to reciprocate just because I had gotten her off.

"I want to." She pulled my pants and boxers off and I kicked them the rest of the way off. "Edward?" she asked, staring at my penis.

"Yeah?" I asked a little scared.

"You have a really big penis," she said, running her finger along the underside of my cock.

"Shit," I bucked my hips against her.

"You like that?" she asked with a grin, running her palm between her legs, covering it with her own moisture.

"Y-yeah," I answered as she took my pre-cum and swirled it around the tip.

Oh, God…

She took her hand that was covered in arousal and started to stroke me. "Is this okay?" she asked, tightening her grip slightly, ghosting her thumb over the head on the occasional pass.

"Um…uh huh," I groaned, moving my hips with her hand. "So good," I whimpered, leaning my head into the crook of her neck. Her touch was so soft…yet so firm. I placed light kisses on her neck and lips, thinking that yet again, I was getting the better part of the deal.

"You're so hard, baby," she moaned against my lips as I felt her strokes quickening. "Do I make you this hard?" she asked.

"Yes," I bucked my hips harder. "Fuck," I closed my eyes, concentrating on not cumming. It felt so amazing.

"You feel so good," she whispered against my ear and her other hand moved to massage and tug my balls.

"Bella," I growled, shivering as my hips bucked faster.

"Edward…"

"I'm…" I tried to warn her, "I'm…shit!" I shrieked as I found my release.

I collapsed on top of her and she placed a kiss on my neck.

"That was…" I searched for a word, "indescribable."

"Thank you," she blushed, giggling.

Once I caught my breath, I went to bathroom to clean up. Afterwards, I wet a washcloth and went to clean up the mess I'd made all over her. I didn't want to get all sticky as we cuddled. "You didn't have to…"

"Stop it, Edward," she interrupted, "I wanted to. I liked making you feel good," she blushed.

"Was I…?"

"Oh, yeah," she nodded her head profusely. "You have amazing fingers," she complimented.

"Well…" I led off, grabbing her into a hug. "You're amazing," I smiled, tilting her chin up to kiss her.

"You're not so bad, either," she winked, running her fingers over my chest hair.

That was how we fell asleep. It was the best sleep of my life.

"Lovebirds!" Rose shouted, knocking on the door, "Cover your p and your v. It's time for breakfast."

"Okay," we said in unison.

"We'll be right there," I said to the voice by the door.

"Make it quick," she ordered. "We have to get ready for the dinner party."

Shit.

"Dinner party?" Bella whispered. "What dinner party?"

"Uh…" I started.

"Another event we have to go to that you forgot to tell me about?" she guessed, narrowing her eyes at me.

Once a year when we all got together, the Denali's and Cullens, we hosted a dinner party.

"Sorry," I looked away. She was pissed. I could feel it. "We do it every other year. It slipped my mind."

"What's with you forgetting to tell me about all of these important things that go on with your family?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. I could tell it was meant to be menacing, but I could see her boobies. "Answer me!" she pulled the covers around her.

"I'm sorry," I apologized again. "I didn't think to tell you," I admitted. "I was just happy that I wouldn't be alone," I confided. "Don't be mad at me, please," I begged.

"I'm not mad," she sighed. "It's just…how am I supposed to keep this up and fit in with the family if I'm acting surprised at every event that happens?" she asked. "You have to fill me in on stuff."

"Okay," I nodded my head. "It won't happen again."

"Is there anything else?"

"The New Year's Eve Ball…and…tutoring inner city kids," I answered. "Plus, my parent's anniversary," I told her.

The ball was one of the highlights of the year.

"Tutoring kids? A ball!?" she asked. "I don't have an evening gown!" she face-palmed herself. "I'll have to buy one now," she pouted.

"I'll pay for it," I offered. "It's the least…"

"That's not the point," she waved it off. "A little warning would've been nice."

"I'm so…"

"You don't have to apologize again," she kissed my cheek. "It's fine, Edward." She got up to go take a shower.

I must have dozed off as I was startled when Bella asked, "So, do I look like a happy, newly-engaged woman?"

I looked up to see her in a burgundy and white Harvard sweat suit and white sneakers. I had to say that it looked a little weird to see Bella in sweats. She was always wearing heels.

"You look beautiful," I wrapped my arms around her waist and leaned in for a kiss.

"Thank you, lover," she used her nickname for me, placing her hand over her chest. She scrunched up the sleeves and added some gold bangles to complete her outfit. The engagement ring sparkled in the morning light, catching my eye. I had to admit, it looked nice on her hand. I found myself smiling at the sight. I was surprised it even fit, but it looked like it was made just for her. My great-grandmother had the tiniest hands I'd ever seen.

"You're very welcome," I grinned as she came in for another kiss.

"I'm heading downstairs," she notified me, brushing some hair out of my face. "The heat has probably died down," she waved, closing the door.

Not a chance.

I quickly jumped into the shower and started getting ready. I noticed myself getting a little stubble so I took the time to shave. I also noticed that I needed to get a haircut. I started putting on my clothes and heard Bella's phone ringing. I instantly recognized the Imperial March song as her mother. I did Bella a favor and hit the ignore button. She wasn't going to answer it anyway. I put the phone in my pocket so I could give it to her later.

Once I was dressed, I headed downstairs. As I hit the bottom step, Bella ran over to me with a huge smile. It was off. Something was wrong.

"Edward, baby," she hugged me hard, "Look what your parents did to…for us," she held up a newspaper. I took the paper and flipped to the Society pages.

_CULLEN HEIR GETS ENGAGED_

_Edward Cullen, heir to the Cullen Banking fortune, proposed to his girlfriend of four months, Bella Swan, over the Christmas break holiday. The proposal proceeded over an intimate dinner at the Cullen Estate late yesterday evening. Both Cullen and Swan are looking forward to their impending nuptials. No date has been set. _

"Isn't it sweet?" she asked pointing to the picture in the paper. It was the same one my dad had taken of us last night.

"Isn't it lovely," mom came in, taking the paper from me. "We wanted to surprise you," she smiled. "I have a friend down at the paper. Agnes Montgomery's husband owns the paper. Bella, you met her at the luncheon yesterday."

"Mmm hmm," Bella tried to smile.

"She was so accommodating," mom beamed. "If Edward had proposed an hour later, it would've had to wait until after you guys left."

Good timing on my part.

"Thank you, Esme," Bella hugged mom.

"None of that," mom waved Bella off. "Call me Mom," she sniffled, tucking a piece of hair behind Bella's ear. "You're so perfect, dear," she kissed Bella's cheek. "I'm so happy," she wiped a tear. "Damn it, now I need a tissue."

"See?" Bella raised an eyebrow when mom was out of sight.

"I know," I hung my head, staring at the paper. "We're fucked."

"Utterly."

"Completely," I added, walking into the kitchen.

"Yaaaaaaaaaay!" my family started cheering as we walked into the kitchen.

"We cooked breakfast for you guys," Megan ran over to hug my legs with Snooki in her hands. The dog jumped into my arms and once again began to lick my face.

"Sit by me, Auntie Bella," Lexi grabbed her hand and led her to the table.

"Did you guys…celebrate last night?" Emmett wiggled his eyebrows.

I couldn't fight the blush that rushed across my cheeks as I thought about what Bella and I had done last night. Then, I stopped thinking about it because I was getting a little stiff.

"Go, Eddddie!" my brother put me in a headlock.

"Stop that, Emmett," mom came back into the kitchen, smacking Em in the head before she sat down.

"You two are still in the doghouse," Alice told Rose and Em.

"Are you going to have a princess wedding?" Lexi asked Bella. "I like princesses."

"I don't know, sweetie," Bella patted her head, "But I'll think about it."

"Okay."

"How does it feel being engaged, Son?" dad asked smiling.

"Different."

"I still can't believe this happened," Bella smiled at me.

"It's surreal, right?" Rose smiled.

"You could say that," Bella replied, taking Snooki from me and hugging the dog close to her then putting her on the floor by the table.

"Hello, Vicki," mom hugged Bella's friend.

"Good morning, Esme," Vic smiled at my mom. Carlisle…Bella…Edward…Lexi…Megan…Snooki…"

"We said we were sorry," Rose and Alice said in unison.

"Humph," Vic rolled her eyes.

"Vic," Bella started, "Is this because of that…?"

"It's okay," Vic opened up her napkin, "Obviously, I'm just…not good enough to be in the group."

"We didn't know you were coming!"

"Semantics," Vic put some bacon on her plate.

"You can help," Rose told her.

"Give a dog a bone, why don't you," Vic found her plate interesting.

"If we could…"

The discussion was cut short by the sound of Bella's ringtone resounding through the room.

"Oh," I took the phone out of my pocket and gave it to Bella.

"Who is it, sweetie?" mom asked.

"No one," Bella replied, ignoring the call. "It's just my mom."

"You don't have to…"

"It's not your fault," she smiled half-heartedly. "We aren't close."

"Oh," mom's face fell a little, "That's…" she led off, unsure of what to say.

"It's fine," Bella salted her eggs. "Don't feel awkward," she said as her phone rang again. Bella ignored it again.

"Well…" mom started.

"Mom," I whispered, shaking my head.

Dad felt the need to make things better and get to the bottom of things. I had a feeling that Bella's issues with her mother couldn't be solved over breakfast.

"Can you pass the jam?" Bella asked Jasper, who awkwardly gave it to her.

Her phone rang again. Bella turned it completely off and continued eating.

"I need to use the restroom," she smiled, getting up and leaving the room.

"I'm sorry," mom apologized. "I didn't know."

"It's fine," I said. "Bella doesn't have the best relationship with her parents," I sighed. "She doesn't talk to them a lot."

"That's a shame," mom shook her head.

Then, the doorbell rang.

"We've been having a lot of surprise guests lately," dad smiled awkwardly, getting up to go get the door.

"Okay," Bella smiled, walking back into the room, "What all do we have to…"

"Where is she?" I heard a female voice call from the hallway.

"Oh, God," Bella's voice cracked as she shook her head.

"I know she's here," the voice called again as I heard the sound of high heels clicking down the hallway. "Phil! Come on!" the voice shouted.

"I'm so sorry," Bella apologized, walking from the kitchen. I followed her… as did everyone else.

"Isabella Marie Swan!" the voice called, "Your mother demands to speak with you!"

"What in the world…?" mom whispered in my ear as we followed Bella down the hallway.

"Who is…oh, my God!" Alice shouted, running toward the beautiful blonde woman standing in our entryway.

"Who are you?" the blonde woman asked stepping back.

"You're…you're…" Alice stuttered, jumping up and down.

"Yes, it's me," she sighed as she took her giant black sunglasses off and rolled her eyes, "But I asked who you were."

"She's Alice," Bella stood in front of her. "She's my friend. She obviously looks up to you so it'd be in your best interest if you tried not to be such a bitch."

"Oh my," Alice whispered, "It's…Renee Dwyer."

"You've heard of me?" Renee asked. "Congratulations. You obviously read Vogue."

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Bella mimicked an announcer, "my mother, Renee Dwyer, youngest editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine, style icon, socialite, etcetera…" she motioned stoically to her mother.

Renee had on a black dress that stopped just at the knee. A prominent baby bump poked out from the dress. She had on a chunky silver necklace, huge diamond earrings, and black heels that had spikes on them.

"Thanks for the introduction," Renee' touched her heart and her enormous diamond wedding ring sparkled in the light, temporarily blinding me, "However sarcastic it may be."

"Mom," Bella sighed, "What are you doing here?"

"I was getting my hair done and my assistant showed me this," she pulled a copy of the newspaper article from her purse.

"You have your assistant spying on me?" Bella rolled her eyes.

"I have to make sure you aren't doing anything to embarrass me." She turned Bella's hand over to see the ring. "Oh, God," she deadpanned looking at me, "This is the best you can do?"

"This is his great-grandmother's ring," Bella snatched her hand back. "It's perfect," she glared at her mother.

"Where is everybody?" I heard a man's voice call from the empty doorway.

"In here," Renee' rolled her eyes.

"Hello," the blonde man smiled, shaking everyone's hand. "I'm…"

"Phil Dwyer," we all recognized him.

Most people knew who Phil Dwyer was. He owned pretty much all expensive real estate that was worthwhile on the east coast. He was a multi-billionaire. Last I checked, he was in Forbes.

That was not the kicker, though. The kicker was the fact that he was the Duke of Monaco.

He was fucking _royalty_.

"You're Bella's father," mom smiled, hugging him.

"No," Renee' huffed, "That's her stepfather," she handed Phil her purse.

Wait a minute.

"If you're Bella's mom," Rose started, "and Phil is Bella's stepdad. Then is…" she led off, her eyes getting huge.

No way.

There was no way that _Charlie Swan_ was Bella's dad.

Right?

"Yeah," Bella rolled her eyes, "Charlie's my father," she looked around awkwardly. "Please, don't make a big deal…Daddy?" she asked, her eyes lighting up as she looked in the doorway.

"Give daddy a hug, princess," the legendary man opened his arms, dropping his suitcase and a bag.

"CHARLIE!" Victoria came out of nowhere and hugged Charlie.

Did she just sniff him?

"Daddy!" Bella ran and jumped into her father's arms. "You're here," she breathed as her father spun her around. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," he put her down. "I told you I'd come."

"Come on," she pulled his hand and brought him in front of us. "Daddy," she started, "This is Esme, Carlisle, Emmett, Alice, Rose, Jasper, Lexi, Megan…and Edward," she grabbed my hand and kissed my cheek.

I couldn't believe this.

"Guys, this is…"

"Charlie," we all sighed.

If most everyone knew who Phil Dwyer was, everyone knew who Charlie was. Not many people knew his last name…which might have been why I never put it together. Let's see. Who was Charlie? What did he do? The correct question was: What didn't he do?

He had been named _The Smartest Man in the World_. It was not without merit. He had made his fortune with technology. Computers. Cell phones. Internet. Wi-fi. HD television. Tivo. Most things with technology, he'd had something to do with it. He pretty much did it all. He built a cell phone in his garage when he was sixteen just to see if he could do it.

Not only was he an inventor, he invested, too. Yahoo! Google. Facebook. Netflix. That was just the stuff I could think of. He predicted the global financial meltdown like ten years ago and no one believed him.

All of his inventions, patents, and investments contributed to his fortune.

He was the _richest man in the country_.

Plus, he was voted the "_Sexiest Man Alive"_ a couple of years ago, too…and one of the Barbara Walters' "_World's Most Influential People_."

Weren't they making a movie about his life?

"Hello," Charlie smiled, shaking everyone's hand. "It's nice to meet all of you. I'm looking forward to…what the fuck is she doing here?" he pointed to Renee practically growling.

"Well…" Victoria stepped in between the two, "It's officially a party now."


	15. Chapter 15

**EMOTIONAL WARFARE**

**I love you guys! Dollybigmomma beta'd this.**

**On to the story…**

**Chapter 15 **

**BELLA**

Oh, shit.

He was here.

He was actually here.

My father, the infamous _Charlie_, was here…with me.

Oh, god…

I had taken everything my father said with a grain of salt for the past fifteen years. When he called and told me he was coming, I didn't believe him. He had broken too many promises.

And now he was here…in the Cullen's entryway…with a suitcase.

Did I forget to mention that the devil's concubine, aka Renee', was here as well?

Put all of this on top of the fact that my boyfriend's parents mistakenly thought we were engaged and we had the definition of insanity. We had only been together sixteen hours.

When Edward freaked out yesterday, I had to pull it together for the both of us. We couldn't both be catatonic in the corner while his family celebrated. On the outside, I was calm and collected. On the inside, I was scared shitless. But I had to keep it together for Edward, who looked like he was about to start crying.

Not now. I wouldn't crumble now. I would have my psychotic breakdown when I got back home.

"What the fuck is she doing here?" dad asked me, pointing to my incubator.

"What am I doing here?" Renee' asked offended. "What are _you_ doing here?" she retorted.

"I told them I was coming," dad pointed to me.

"Huh?" Carlisle asked.

"He mentioned it a couple of days ago," I told the family. "It's just…" I started, patting my dad's back, "I didn't know if you'd really make it because you're so busy. I didn't want anyone to get their hopes up."

"Oh," dad and Carlisle said in unison. Carlisle said it with a sense of understanding, and my dad looked…sad.

"Shameful," Renee' sucked her teeth.

"At least _I_ attempted to make my presence known," dad rolled his eyes. "You didn't answer why you're here," he reminded her. "Don't you have some children to cook in a caldron or something?"

"How clever," Renee' deadpanned. "It took you the whole trip here to come up with that, didn't it?" she giggled.

"Renee'," dad huffed, "We _just_ established that I didn't know you were coming. How could I have pre-thought a comeback?" he talked slowly, like he was trying to help Renee' catch up. "I thank God every day that Bella got her intelligence from me," he shook his head.

"This is exactly why I left him," she sighed to the family, pointing to dad.

"You? Left me?" he pointed back at Renee' laughing. "Keep telling yourself that."

My parents' divorce had been dubbed "_The Divorce of the Century_." It was not clear who left who. All I knew was that mom got two hundred million dollars, alimony, and child support. The last part I thought was bullshit given she didn't play any role in raising me…at least not any good part.

Bitch.

"Well…" Esme interrupted the start of World War III, "No matter if or when we knew anyone was coming," she stepped up smiling, "There's obviously enough room."

"Oh, no," Renee' shook her head, "I'm here to talk to Bella. I _don't_ do houses," she motioned around to the house. "Phil and I are…high-rise, penthouse people," she sneered. "No offense, of course. This house is…lovely," she glanced around, "All airy…light…homey…chic, almost Hamptons-esque."

"Uh…thank you?" Esme looked confused. "Let me give you guys a tour," she smiled, waving them down the hallway.

"Fine, I guess," my mother sighed, looking at her nails. She rolled her eyes toward the chandelier, "Hold these," she snapped and threw her purse, sunglasses, and scarf into Alice's hands as she and Phil followed Esme and Carlisle. "Don't break my sunglasses," she ordered in a bored voice, walking down the hall.

"Do I have to go?" dad asked, looking at me. "I can't stand her."

"Go on," I pointed down the hallway. "Esme takes pride in her decorating so be nice," I warned him.

"Okay," he groaned, slowly following the group.

I watched as they walked down the hallway and went up the stairs, and then I slowly turned to the rest of the group.

Silence.

They were still in shock.

That tended to happen.

"Oh, my God," Alice giggled, jumping up and down. "Your mom is Renee Dwyer! Why didn't you tell me? Oh, my God! I'm holding her purse!" She held Renee's scarf to her nose and took a whiff. "It smells fabulous!" she gushed, talking a mile a minute.

Did she not just witness the past two minutes?

"Bella," Rose finally spoke, coming out of her stupor, "Your mom is a real bitch."

"You think I don't know that?" I raised my eyebrow. "You remember Miranda Priestly…the bitchy boss in _The Devil Wears Prada? _She was modeled after her. It's an inside joke in the industry," I deadpanned. "However, I think Meryl Streep actually made her seem a little more endearing."

At least Miranda cared about her children. She made Anne Hathaway steal a copy of the new Harry Potter book.

"That says a lot," Rose nodded her head. "Really, Miranda Priestly?" she asked incredulously.

"Yep," I leaned on a table in the entryway.

"She's a total bitch," Alice rolled her eyes, rubbing her cheek against the leather of my mother's purse, "But she's still fabulous. Do you think she'd be able to tell if I licked her purse?"

"Probably."

"Damn," she mumbled.

"Charlie?" Jasper poked my shoulder. "Fuckin' _Charlie_ is your dad?" he asked wide-eyed.

"Yeah," I drawled out as I nodded my head.

This was getting awkward.

"He like…invented…everything," he muttered in awe.

"Pretty much."

"Is it true he built a cell phone in his garage when he was sixteen because he was bored?"

"No," I shook my head, "He was fifteen and he did it because some guy bet him ten bucks he couldn't do it."

"Wow," he whispered. "Cool."

"Eddie," Emmett laughed at his little brother and ruffled his hair. "You gold-digger!"

"Uh…" Edward stammered, "Eh…"

Shit. He was freaking out.

He obviously didn't handle stress well.

"Never," I laughed at Emmett and sat in Edward's lap.

"Uh…"

"Are you after me for my money, lover?" I asked Edward playfully.

"Uh…" he shook his head, causing the group to laugh.

"See," I giggled, kissing Edward's cheek. "I love you," I whispered into his ear and kissed him on the lips.

"I'm soooo excited," Vic joined in, hugging me. "Edward needs to handle his shit," she whispered quickly to me. "He looks like he's geeking out."

"Uh…" Edward stammered again.

"Seriously though," Rose started again, "Charlie? What a surprise."

"I feel secure enough in my manhood to admit that the first time I looked into his eyes, I felt bi-sexual for like two seconds," Jasper shrugged his shoulders.

Huh?

"I completely understand," Alice told her husband. "I've had a girl crush on Renee' since I saw her on the cover of Vogue when I was six."

"I want to sit on Charlie's face," Victoria grinned, staring down the hallway.

"What?" I asked in horror. "Ew!"

"I said that out loud?" she asked, embarrassed.

"Yes!"

"Sorry."

"You can't have my dad. He's old…and my dad! You have James!" I pointed out.

"Edward, are you okay?" Emmett asked, noticing Edward's pale face.

"Yeah," Edward finally spoke. "I'm…fine," he huffed.

"Good," I smiled, nuzzling his neck. "Stop acting weird," I whispered again into his ear.

"Well…" I heard my mother's voice coming back from upstairs, "I'll give credit where it's due. The house is decorated beautifully," she complimented.

"Thank you," Esme smiled, looking around.

"She did it herself," Carlisle bragged on his wife.

"Why?" Renee' asked confused. "Can't you just…"

"Present time!" dad shouted, running over to the suitcases he had dropped in the hallway. "I don't want to give Bella's mother another chance to put her foot in her mouth," he mumbled, rolling the bags into one of the sitting rooms.

"Dad!" I huffed. "We've gone over this. I don't like presents."

"Psssh," he waved me off, "Everyone likes presents."

"I love presents, Charlie," Victoria blushed.

Here we go…

"There you go," Charlie agreed.

"Phil!" Renee' screeched, "Get the gift and plans out of the car," she ordered, sitting across the room from Charlie.

It was a pretty big room…thankfully.

"Okay, sweetie," Phil hung his head and went to get whatever it was.

I felt sorry for the guy.

"Come on," dad patted his lap, signaling for me to sit on it, "Come see what I bought you."

I reluctantly sat down and rolled my eyes. I had a feeling that if I didn't, Victoria would have and it would have been awkward if I yanked her off of my father by her hair.

"Alright," I sighed, "Lay it on me."

"I love how enthusiastic you are," he sensed my sarcasm and gave me my first gift.

"Whatever." I unwrapped the gold and green package. It was a jewelry box. "Dad!" I shouted.

"I know, I know," he rolled his eyes as I opened the expensive diamond watch. The rim of the watch was covered in diamonds, as was the swirly design that went around the band and on the design of the watch. My name was also engraved on the back…in diamonds. "You don't have a watch."

"That's what cell phones are…" Renee' started.

"No one asked for your opinion," dad nonchalantly stated, interrupting Renee's comment. "Here," he gave me another box wrapped in red, black, and white paper to open.

It was a diamond necklace. A big one. Each tier in the necklace had a nice-sized teardrop diamond surrounded by a gold enclosure. It reminded me of the necklace that weird guy gave Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge…except bigger.

"I know you like gold," he smiled in pride.

It could cover my entire neck.

Really?

I had gotten mad when Edward bought me those bangles. This…this…excessive…piece of…

I couldn't even...

"No," I closed the box and handed it back.

"Yes," he gave it back. "I want to say I'm sorry for forgetting to call on Christmas."

"So just say you're sorry," I handed it back. "You don't need to buy a piece of jewelry that costs enough money to feed a small village for ten years," I crossed my arms.

"I knew you'd get all noble and shit," he took the necklace out of the box and held it up, "So all the money I spent on these gifts, I matched it and donated it to charity."

"It doesn't…"

"Yes, it does." He tried to put the necklace on me, but I scrunch my shoulders so he couldn't.

"Daddy," I pouted, "Please, take it back."

It wouldn't feel right to own something that excessive and extravagant. I knew damned well that necklace cost more than some people made in _two_ _years_.

"Just put it on," he reasoned. "Just try."

"Fine." I lifted my hair and as he clasped it, I felt my neck start to choke with the weight. "Dad," I struggled, "This is too…"

"Aww…" he said to Edward and his family, "Doesn't she look pretty?"

I heard a chorus of, "Uh…" and looked up to see that everyone in the room had their mouths hanging open.

"There we have it," dad sat down. "You look gorgeous."

"Dad…"

"Okay," Phil came in with a dress bag, another box, and a manila envelope.

"Henrik showed me these samples and I thought of how you must have them," my mother said with a stern face. "Even though you'll probably just donate them or something," she shivered, "I can at least try," she rolled her eyes. "Oh, god, I can't believe I didn't notice you're wearing…_sweatpants_," she sneered, abashed.

"I'm lounging around the house," I countered.

"You never know when someone will see you," she argued. "You don't even have any makeup on. And just look at your hair," she ran her fingers through it.

"Give her the damn presents," dad growled. "You can't go ten minutes without criticizing someone."

"Whatever." I took the packages and opened the dress bag.

"Versace," she deadpanned. "It won't be available to the public for another three months at least. Donatella asked me for an opinion," she bragged.

It was a strapless tan dress with a silvery-brown design along the edge. It had somewhat of a train in the back, causing the silver design to wrap around and fan out. It was very traditional and…totally not me.

"Oh," I tried to smile.

"Ugh, I knew it," Renee' complained to Phil, rolling her eyes.

"It's just…" I trailed off, opening the other box. "I'm not…" I tried to find words and started looking around.

"It's…nice," Edward spoke up, standing by the chair next to me. He looked me in the eye and it was like I knew what he was saying.

Just move on.

I opened the second box to see that it was a Louis Vuitton bag. It was black and a box-like design with pewter studs along the seams of it. The handle was black and pewter and came with a shoulder strap that was attached with black, white, and grey tortoise shell.

I heard Alice gasp.

"Wow, Mom," I tried to smile, "Thanks."

"That bag is fabulous!" Alice breathed. "Where did you…?"

"Oh no," Renee laughed, "My handbags are _never_ from a store," she shook her head, adding a little disgust to her voice. "Every bag I own is custom made," she boasted. "By the way, the Devil doesn't wear Prada. She wears Chanel," she said, looking at her phone.

"Would anyone like some water?" Esme asked, looking at me. She looked so sad.

"Yes, please," dad accepted. "Whatever you have is fine," he smiled.

"Be right back," Esme smiled and gave Carlisle a quick look. He followed her to the kitchen.

I wondered what that was about.

"So…" Jasper started, "You're…Charlie."

"Yeah," dad nodded his head.

"That's cool."

"Sometimes," dad answered.

"What's it like?"

"Eh…" he shrugged his shoulder.

"Did you bang Angelina Jolie or is that a rumor?" Emmett asked, looking on intently.

"I'll never tell," dad laughed.

No, this wasn't awkward at all…

"We're back," Esme came back with a tray of juice and water. "You know what?" she stopped, "We were having breakfast before you guys came. Would you like to join us in the kitchen?" she asked.

"I could eat," dad got up.

"I don't eat breakfast," Renee' informed.

"But…you're pregnant."

"I know," Mom huffed. "It makes it sooo much harder to keep your weight in check," she complained, looking disdainfully down at her stomach.

"Are you serious?" Esme asked.

"Of course," Renee' followed us into the kitchen. "I'm turning forty next year. My metabolism will go to shit before I know it. I'm getting prepared," she took a sip of water.

"You just admitted to being anorexic," Charlie looked disgusted.

"Am not."

"Are, too," dad sat down, scooping some eggs onto a plate.

"Am not."

"Are we really going to play this game?" dad asked, biting a strawberry.

"You're such an asshole," Renee complained as Phil pulled out a chair for her.

"You're not the first person to call me that," dad sighed. "You won't be the last, either."

"Hopeless." She dug into the manila envelope Phil had brought from the car. "I brainstormed ideas for your wedding," she took out a list.

"Wedding?" dad asked, biting a piece of bacon. "What wedding?"

Shit.

"Dad…"

"You haven't heard?" Renee' asked with a sinister smile. "Our lovely daughter is engaged to a man," she glanced toward Edward, "that we've never met…until today that is. It's okay because at least he's rich."

"ENGAGED!" dad shouted, choking on a piece of bacon. "Engaged to who?" he asked, looking around the table.

"Edward," Emmett and Alice pointed to their brother.

"How long have you known him?"

"Four months," Esme and Carlisle smiled.

"How long have you been engaged?" he asked.

"Last night."

"Why wasn't I told?" Charlie was turning red.

"Because it just happened..._last_ night," I answered this time.

"YOU'RE SIGNING A FUCKING PRE-NUP!" he shouted at Edward.

"DAD!" I shouted in shock.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Just because Edward was interested in "marrying" me didn't mean that he was after me for my money. I mean we were not really getting married…but my father didn't know that. It was not like he was poor and trying to climb the social ladder or anything.

"A word, please, Bella," dad calmly suggested, scooting his chair from under the table, "Alone."

"I can't believe this." I got up to follow him. "I'm so sorry," I apologized to the table and followed him.

We ended up by the beautifully-manicured courtyard. Silence overwhelmed us and he stared ahead of him with his back turned to me.

"Dad…"

"Come on," Renee came out of nowhere, "What's your issue now, Charlie?"

"Mom," I rolled my eyes, "I'm talking to Dad, in private."

"Bella," Phil chimed in, "Your mother just wants to see what's going on."

"She cares now?" I asked, mocking shock. "Seriously?"

"He's a wonderful match for you," she explained. "He's attractive, rich, and from what I've heard, he's extremely intelligent as well, and let's not talk about all of that money," she smiled.

"It's more than that," I huffed. Figured she would only care about the things on the outside. If I were to ever get married, I wouldn't look at those things. It was what was on the inside that counted. "Edward is more than all that," I told her.

I was not lying. Edward was more than just looks and money. He was…Edward. I couldn't explain it.

"Are you acting out?" dad turned around to ask me.

"What?" I asked, this time in genuine shock. "Why would I…?"

"That's it, isn't it?" he nodded his head. "I wasn't around enough and now you're searching for some form of…male relationship."

"No!" I shouted, crossing my arms. "This is not a result of my 'daddy issues,'" I shook my head.

If I had gotten engaged to a man that was twice my age, maybe?

"Well…getting engaged to a man you've only known for four months?" he questioned. "Something is fishy about this, Bella."

Please don't get smart now...

"Stop being an asshole, Charlie!" Renee' shouted. "Look around," she motioned outside to the lavish house, "He's not after her for her money. Cullen Banking? Hello?" she flicked dad's ear.

"You don't…"

"The Cullens are a top-notch family," Renee' pointed out. "That boy in there comes from a fabulous pedigree. I, for one, am proud of Bella. I honestly didn't think she had it in her," she smiled a little. "Don't go all…Charlie on her and ruin this for us!"

"Us?" I asked, raising my voice. "_I'm_ the one that's getting married. How are you involved in our relationship?"

Great. I was arguing over an engagement that was not even real.

"Can you imagine how good looking their children will be?" she asked dad. "It's always nice to have a background where both families have money."

"Pssh," dad laughed, "This coming from a poor girl who grew up in a trailer park in Kentucky."

"You piece of shit!" Renee yelled.

"Bitch," dad countered in a subtle voice.

"It's a smart move for her to marry a Cullen," she argued.

There she went. The only way she saw people was by how much money they had. She hadn't even asked me if I loved Edward. She probably didn't care. It was just something she could brag to people about. I could see it now. _Oh, my daughter married a Cullen. You know…from Cullen __**Banking**__. Yeah. _

"I'm not marrying Edward because it's _smart_," I said in disgust. "I'm marrying him because I want to," I told them. "Dad, I want to marry Edward. I love him."

"Four months," he said, putting up four fingers. "Four months, Bella?" he asked. "You're smarter than this."

"Dad…" I sighed, putting my face in my hands.

I didn't sign up for this.

"I'm telling you, something isn't right," he nodded his head. Another awkward silence enveloped the four of us and dad's brow wrinkled. He was thinking hard about something. "Have you checked the Cullen's financial records?" he asked.

"What?" I shouted. "How can you ask me that?" I asked livid. "Where would I even find that information?"

"The economy…the banking industry," he started, "It's shaky at best nowadays. That could be why they're so excited about…"

"Stop!" I snapped at him. "Don't you dare…"

"Bella," he started again, "When you make a big decision like this, you need to research…"

"This isn't a business deal, Dad!" I rolled my eyes. "It's a marriage."

"Exactly!" he pointed at me. "This is an even bigger venture. You need to…"

"Stop trying to talk her out of it," Renee jumped back in. "The Cullens don't have as much money as you. So what? No one does. But…they're the _Cullen's_. They've been around in this country since the Civil War. The CIVIL WAR!" she shouted. "Sometimes, a name can get you farther than a check can," she raised an eyebrow.

"This isn't about that!" I yelled at her. "Do you not know me at all?" I asked. "I don't go after people because of a name or how much money they have. I'm not you!" I yelled at her. "If I'm marrying Edward, it's because I want to be with him."

"Bella…" dad paused, "I don't know…"

"If she loves the boy, let her marry him," Phil sighed at my father.

"Well…" dad huffed, taking out his cell phone, "I'll call my lawyer and have him draft an iron-clad pre-nup. You're not going into this marriage without any form of financial barricade."

"I can't win with you two," I shook my head. "I'm going back inside," I announced, walking up the stairs towards the door.

"Bella…"

"You don't want your breakfast getting cold," I deadpanned.

I couldn't believe the nerve of them. They both played a minimal role in my upbringing and now they wanted to play the role of concerned parents when they found out I was engaged. If I were actually getting married, I wouldn't marry some guy if I wasn't one hundred percent certain he was the one for me. The fact that my father challenged that about me left me pissed off…and a little hurt.

Renee? I fully expected her approach on the subject.

So I wouldn't appear as frustrated as I felt, I stopped on my way back to the kitchen and counted to ten. I took deep breaths and tried to find the resemblance of my center. When that didn't work out, I thought about what had happened last night with Edward and that did the trick.

Once again, I found myself completely and utterly surprised with Edward's sexiness.

Those lips?

Those hands?

Those fingers?

Every breath. Every kiss. Every touch sent an all-too-familiar shock through my entire body. It was like I couldn't control myself. The next thing I knew, I was pushing his hand toward my panties. Boy…was I glad I had. He played the geeky role well…but he _knew_ what he was doing.

I walked back to the kitchen with a smile on my face as a result of my flashback. It quickly faded when I saw the Denali's. They still had on their coats on so I assumed they had just arrived.

"Hey, Edward," Tanya smiled, moving to sit in my chair…next to him.

"Hi…" Edward muttered, still staring into space.

He was still in shock.

"Tanya," I smiled as I made my presence known. I pulled my chair away from her hand and sat down, scooting closer to Edward. "How's it going?"

Back up, bitch.

"Whose Bugatti is that outside?" Heidi asked, "Carlisle's?"

Daddy loved the Bugatti brand. I didn't really know why. If I were into ridiculously expensive cars, I'd drive a Mercedes McLaren instead. So far, Dad had a Bugatti in every color. Excessive.

"No," Carlisle shook his head. "We have some visitors."

"Anyone I know?" she asked.

"Not likely," Rose snickered.

"Becca, I'm fine," Tanya huffed. "I just wanted to tell Edward how delicious he looks. This new look is working for him," she eyed him up and down hungrily.

"Thank you?" Edward led off, this time staring at his fork.

Damn it, Edward, get your shit together!

"Delicious he is," I said with a sinister giggle.

"Oh, Esme," Heidi leaned on the wall rolling her eyes, "I read about a horrible rumor this morning in that gossip rag Mrs. Montgomery's husband owns," she started to laugh. "It said that Edward _proposed to Becca_ last night," she shook her head, looking at me incredulously. "What a horrible thing to spread about somebody," she mock gasped. "I mean…"

"It's not a rumor, Heidi," Esme corrected her.

"Huh?" Heidi's saccharine smile flattened.

"What?" Tanya looked around.

"It's. Not. A. Rumor," Esme spread out the sentence. I noticed a deep sense of joy on Esme's face when she told Heidi that Edward and I were getting married. It was if that look had subtitles.

_Nah-nah-na-nah-nah-nah…Edward's getting marr-ied…and it's not to Tan-ya…Nah-nah-na-nah-nah-nah…_

I loved her.

"But…" Tanya whispered.

"Yeah," Alice smiled, winking at me, "Bella is going to be my new sister!" she clapped.

"But…I…"

"See," I grinned, showing her the ring. "He asked me last night…after eating pizza. It was so random, but so perfect," I giggled, tilting Edward's chin to kiss him.

Take that, bitch!

I thought about an Eskimo kiss, but that would have been too much.

"Oh," Heidi said softly, "He gave you the gold ring," she deadpanned.

"I always thought it was kind of plain and…homely…nothing special," Tanya sighed.

"Edward told me that you didn't…get the ring…what it meant," I countered, still looking at the ring on my finger.

This ring, while simple, was elegant and old-fashioned. It didn't have a huge diamond or anything, but it had some other quality to it that when I looked at it, I couldn't help but smile. How could Tanya not like it?

"You know they say that the ring a man gives a girl tells her his opinion of her," she smirked and nodded her head.

"I guess I should be honored then. I didn't want a big ring," I replied truthfully. "Marriage isn't about gigantic diamonds. It's about being with that one special person for the rest of your life. You can have a twenty-carat diamond ring and only stay married for a day. A marriage is more than the material things that go into it. This was his great-grandmother's ring," I pointed out. "It is special, it has history, meaning."

"Well, isn't that a lovely notion," Heidi simpered. "I suppose it's good that Edward was able to move on so quickly. He was soooo hurt when Tanya dumped him. I was concerned that he'd never get over her. Then, he met you and decided you were the one…in what…only four months?"

"You don't say?" Vic asked, looking at the doorway. "Huh?"

"I thought it was three," Tanya quipped snidely.

"Really?" Vic asked smirking.

Oh. They were playing the rebound card.

"Well…" Renee's voice piped in from the doorway, "I should be easier to appreciate a diamond of any size when all you've dealt with is cubic zirconia," she said nonchalantly as she moved to stand behind Heidi. I saw Heidi's eyebrows rise at the insult and she turned to see who had said it.

"Excuse me…" She stopped dead in her tracks as she took in my mother. "Oh my…you're…you're…"

Now I saw why Vic was so excited. She saw Renee at the door and knew Heidi and Tanya would freak out.

"Yes," Renee confirmed, "and you're in my seat," she tapped her chair. "Vacate," she calmly ordered.

"Of course," Heidi quickly got up, dusting off the chair and sitting in another one. "I'm Heidi," she introduced herself, "and that's Tanya," she pointed to her daughter.

"I'm sure you are," Renee' took a sip of water. She carefully blotted her lips with her napkin and put her finger under her chin.

Uh-oh.

I knew that move.

It was never good.

She was readying herself for attack.

I crossed my arms, prepping myself for an incoming insult.

"I'm Renee…but you already know that," Renee introduced herself. "However, I doubt you know I'm Isabella's mother…or else you wouldn't have insulted her in front of me," she finished.

"You're…" Heidi gasped, "She's…" she looked at me, "You two are…"

"Oh, yes," I nodded my head.

"I didn't know…" Heidi started backpedaling.

"Of course you didn't," Renee cut her off.

"Mrs. Dwyer," Tanya began, "You're a fashion icon…"

"Believe me; I know," Renee interrupted her.

I had to admit, seeing Tanya and Heidi squirm put a little sunshine in my day.

"Bella," Heidi smiled at me.

"Now you remember my name?" I raised an eyebrow. "You called me Becca, again, not two minutes ago."

"Well…" she waved it off, "I didn't know…"

"It's not important," I sighed.

"I couldn't help but overhear your excellent approach to passive aggression as I was walking down the hall," Renee' started.

Oh, shit.

At least her anger wasn't directed at me for once.

"Oh," Tanya giggled, "We were just…"

"I know what you were 'just' doing," my mother smiled. "Let me guess," she folded her arms on the table, "Edward here…used to date Tanya. My guess is…Tanya dumped Edward. Now, Edward is engaged to Bella, leaving Tanya to feel…I won't say…jealous," she thought for a second. "Vain. Yes, vain. Tanya here feels that she's irreplaceable so she feels threatened by Bella and feels the need to remind her that she had Edward first in order to establish some form of superiority," Renee' motioned between Edward, Tanya, and me. "Is that correct?"

"Yes," Alice and Rose said in unison.

"It's not what…"

"I'm sorry. Forgive me," Renee started laughing. Heidi and Tanya started giggling, too. "It's just…the thought of my daughter…a bi-product of _me_…being _inferior_ to _anyone_…especially a woman in _two_-season-old Prada pumps and the other in a dress that's at least two sizes too small," she giggled before taking sip of water, "I find it hilarious," she laughed again. "I'm genuinely amused," she giggled and shook her head, blotting her lips again.

"Well…"

"You're dismissed," Renee' informed them.

"But…"

"Shhh…" Renee quieted Heidi. "We need some…family time, Heidi," she added.

"I have to finish dinner party plans with Esme."

"You will," Renee pulled some papers out of the manila envelope, "Afterwards. But now…you're excused."

"Oh, my God!" Tanya shouted. I followed her line of vision to see dad and Phil in the doorway.

"What's going on?" Phil asked.

"Who are you?" dad pointed to Heidi and Tanya.

"I'm Tanya," she whispered, staring at dad.

"I'm Heidi," she got up to shake my dad's hand. "Is that your Bugatti?" she asked, smiling at him.

"Yeah," dad answered. "I bought it as a Christmas gift to myself. I had it delivered so I could drive it here from the marina."

What marina?

"That's…"

"Oh, dear god," Renee rolled her eyes, "Don't attempt to flirt with him. It would be sad for you," she advised. "He's so out of your league he's in a different sport."

"But…"

"I'm thinking of you, Helen."

"It's Heidi."

"Of course it is," Renee rolled her eyes. "Did you forget that you're excused?" she pointed toward the door.

"Oh…"

Awkward.

"I'll…see you later, Esme," Heidi stood.

Esme got up to show Heidi and Tanya out.

"Oh. My. God!" Alice squealed.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" Emmett yelled.

"I think I just came," Rose said in a serious voice.

"Whoa," Carlisle nodded awkwardly. "That was…something."

"That's definitely a way to get rid of unwanted guests," Esme came back to sit at the table.

"Okay," Renee moved her water out of the way, "When I heard of the wedding, I didn't have time to get much done, but this is what I have." She took out three dress drawings and laid them on the table.

"Uh…" Edward started.

"Mom, this is a bit…"

"Oh, shit…" dad huffed.

"This one is Vera Wang," Renee started. "I love Vera. She's wonderful. The next one is Badgley Mischka. I love the lines," she pointed out. "This…" she paused, "This is Monique Lhuilier. Gorgeous," she breathed.

"Mom…"

"It's a little early for gowns, but I think these designs will go great with your body type," she nodded. "It'll give them a place to start. It would be custom of course."

"Renee'…" Esme tried to interrupt.

"You look fabulous in blue," Renee started again. "Since it's a fall or winter color, I'm thinking a wedding around Thanksgiving would be wonderful."

"Mom…"

"As far as location…New York is out, too expected. Not LA…to Hollywood. Then, I thought about an island. But they're done to death. I mean, you're the daughter of the richest man in the country. You should marry like it," she breathed. "So, I thought of something big…groundbreaking," she smiled.

"Mom," I groaned, "We just got…"

"Italy…The Vatican," she sighed. "You and Edward…under the Sistine Chapel, I wonder if the Pope would marry you?" she asked herself. "I mean…"

"NO!" Edward shouted, jumping up from his seat.

"Okay," Renee rolled her eyes. "It was just a suggestion."

"No!" he said again. "We're not planning a wedding," he seethed. "Not…today," he added. "We've only been together for…a day," he breathed. "Can't it just be new for like…thirty minutes?" His hands were shaking and he was blinking incessantly. "GODDAMNIT!" he shouted, banging the table.

Oh, dear...

"Edward, honey," Esme said in a calm voice, "Calm down."

"No!" he shook his head. "No. No. No. No!" He got up and quickly stormed out of the house.

"Great," dad stared at Renee', "Your need for control drove the poor boy out of his own house. Proud of yourself?"

"You're soooo much more attractive with your mouth closed, Charlie," Renee' sipped from her water.

"Why don't you eat?" dad asked her. "That water is not going to start tasting like food."

"Mind your own business! We're not married anymore."

"Thank God for that," he threw his hands in the air.

"I can't take this anymore." I got up from the table and walked out onto the patio.

This was ridiculous. I had only been engaged for half a day and my parents had already managed to suck all the fun out of it. I was not even really getting married, but still. If I _actually_ had been, I would have been even more pissed off than I was now.

The only reason why my mom was even here was because she could get to plan a fabulous event and all that. Plus, she only approved of Edward because he was rich. If he had been a normal, middle-class guy, I doubted she would have been so content. She had even picked out my wedding dress for me! Who did that? I was soooo not the type of person who would wear a designer gown. Not. At. All. The only reason why I had even brought fashionable clothes here was because I understood that my style wasn't everyone's cup of tea and I didn't want the Cullens to know how weird I really was.

Dad? I couldn't even begin. I was still in shock over how he had acted outside. What did that even mean? Did he think no guy would want to marry me without an ulterior motive? What a crock of shit.

My parents were assholes.

I looked off in the distance to see Edward sitting on a bench kicking rocks. From what I could see, he still had that look on his face. I gathered the courage to go talk to him. I was not looking forward to it.

Things had been so good yesterday.

"Hey," I stressed the word, waving at him.

"Humph." He got up and walked away from me down a cobblestone path.

"Edward," I called out, following him, "Use your big boy words. You haven't spoken…"

"You lied to me!" he turned on me, staring in my eyes. "How's that for using words?"

"I didn't lie…"

"Omitting facts and lying is the same thing," he continued walking. "I had no idea…none!"

"I didn't think it was important," I told him honestly. "I don't care…"

"Charlie is your father?" he asked, raising his voice. "THE Charlie, he's your father? The richest man in the country is your father and you didn't think _that_ was important?"

"No," I continued to follow him. "I'm not a person who staples their birth certificate to their chest," I rolled my eyes. "How could I have brought that up in a conversation? 'Hi, my name is Bella. The famous _Charlie_ is my daddy,'" I said in an airhead voice.

"You should've told me," he chided at me, leaving the manicured lawn and walking into what appeared to be a forest.

"I honestly didn't think…"

"If it wasn't a big deal, you should've told me," he started whacking branches out of his way.

"I told you the important part!" I argued.

"What?"

"I told you they were assholes!" I pointed out. "My dad was never home and my mother is the biggest bitch known to mankind," I said. "I remember being drunk and telling you that. Names are irrelevant."

"Still…" he marched in the direction of what I noticed to be running water.

"They're just people," I followed him. "Besides, you forgot to tell me about…I don't know…every social gathering you're family has ever had on this trip."

"Please," he huffed, sitting down in the dirt, "That pales in comparison. You're the richest daughter in the country. Don't you think that deserves a little mention?" he pinched his thumb and forefinger together. "Just a little?" he asked.

I knew everyone would lose their shit if they found out who my parents were. It was kind of unavoidable. I thought Edward would ask for an autograph…not go catatonic. I guess a little warning would have been nice, now that I'd thought about it.

"I guess," I sat next to him. "I didn't think you'd react the way you did," I sighed.

"It was a shock," he deadpanned.

"You were catatonic," I pointed out. "You only said like five words."

"I didn't think my morning would've taken that turn. It was hard to adjust to it."

"I'm sorry," I apologized, scooting next to him. "You're right; I should've told you."

"It's okay," he sighed, pulling me closer. He smelled so good.

"You smell nice," I grinned, resting my head on his shoulder.

"You always say that," he chuckled, resting his head on mine.

"You always smell nice," I countered, giving him a loud sniff to prove my point.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," he whispered in my ear. "That was wrong."

"Just don't do it again," I warned.

"I won't," he smiled.

I looked around and noticed the scenery around us. We were sitting in front of a beautiful deep stream that was surrounded by trees. The sound of the water flowing mixed with the chirping of birds, and a small rainbow shone over the scene in front of us. I looked over the edge of the ridge and saw what looked to be about a forty-foot drop with a waterfall.

"This is beautiful," I got up to stand by the stream.

"I discovered this when I was eight," he came to stand beside me. "I love how peaceful it is. I come here to think."

"Well, we definitely need to think," I agreed with him, watching at a hummingbird fly by.

"I'm not getting married at The Vatican," he shook his head. "Lying to my parents is one thing, but I'm not going to lie to the Pope."

"I wouldn't expect you to," I laughed slightly. "Renee' is just brainstorming. She has to know what she wants is impossible."

"Good."

"She'll try, anyway," I warned him and his breath hitched. "She won't succeed, but she'll try."

"Oh."

"It won't matter because you forgot that we aren't really getting married," I poked him. "You aren't starting to believe it, are you?" I joked.

"No," he bumped his shoulder with mine. "It's just…a lot, that's all."

"We'll be okay, lover," I kissed him. His tongue moved with mine and he held me close to him.

"Better be," he huffed.

This was nice…just the two of us. This had been a good trip, before everything got so complicated.

"I like this," I kissed his jaw.

"Me, too," he bent down to kiss my lips. "Your mom is actually awesome…when she's not being a bitch," he laughed.

"You were lucid enough to notice how she handled Heidi?"

"Extremely."

"She has her uses," I laughed.

"Is there any other awesome little-known facts I should know?" he tried to joke, but I could tell he was serious.

I giggled and came up with something.

"You remember when I played the violin at the luncheon?"

"Yeah."

"I've played since I was two."

"Really?"

"Yeah," I nodded my head. "I played with the Russian Orchestra when I was twelve," I grinned.

"No way."

"Yep," I popped the 'P.' "Tanya didn't stand a chance. I almost felt sorry for her."

"That's funny," he chuckled. "I thought you could play professionally," he smiled. "I'm marrying a virtuoso," he stuck his chest out.

"You're marrying a model, too," I said, striking a pose.

"Huh?" he deadpanned. "Did you…?"

"Yep," I nodded my head slowly. "In high school, my mom made me do some modeling and ad campaigns overseas," I explained. "I hated it, but it was said multiple times that I was 'fierce,'" I posed again.

"Oh," he started blushing and looking at his feet.

"Yes," I hugged his side, poking his stomach, "You're proud."

"You're going to be my trophy wife," he held my hand, chuckling.

"A hard life to lead," I smiled.

"Wow," he chuckled again.

"You're sooo pleased with yourself," I shook my head.

"Well…" he shrugged his shoulders.

"We should go back," I brushed off my pants. "We don't want them to start worrying."

"You're right," he put his arm around me.

My dad probably thought Edward was trying to murder me for insurance money or something.

It felt good that we had cleared the air. We walked in comfortable silence to the house and heard the sound of our families laughing.

"What's going on?" I asked, walking into the living room.

"Oh," dad said, looking at his computer, "Here's another one," he smiled, turning the screen around.

"Awww…" Esme, Rose, and Alice cooed.

"Bella, you were so cute as a baby," Alice smiled.

I remembered this picture. I was six months old and sitting on a pile of money with a onesie on that had "Daddy's Little Girl" printed on it.

"Look at that face," Renee' deadpanned. "It took two hours to get that face…so fierce," she pointed to my lips and eyes. "Look at this," she pulled up another picture. "This is one of the European ads Bella did in high school," she showed the family. "Gorgeous."

It was a Louis Vuitton ad. It had a 1940s feel. I was wearing a vintage dress, sitting on a tower of luggage, waiting for a train on a foggy platform.

"You didn't tell us you modeled," Rose said, looking at the photo.

"She doesn't like to brag," Edward said.

"Nice pick, bro," Emmett clapped Edward on the back.

"You guys," Esme came up to us, "We have another surprise for you."

"Oh?" Edward paused, looking at me. "What is it?"

"You know how we host the dinner party every year," she started. "We were thinking…it was actually Renee's idea…we should make the dinner party into an unofficial engagement party for you two."

"You don't have to…" I said, looking at my mother's smirk.

She was using the party as an avenue to take over and control an aspect of my life. She was manipulating Esme.

"It's no problem," Esme waved her hand. "Your parents are so busy, and we don't know when the next time will be when we'll all be together," she said. "We moved some stuff around and it'll be fine."

"I sailed here on my yacht, so I volunteered to let them host it there. It's basically a floating estate," dad stepped in.

"This isn't really…"

"We called all of the caterers and attendants and gave them the change of venue," Alice started. "I've seen pictures of the yacht. This will be legendary!" she smiled, clapping.

"Okay," Edward sighed, looking down. "Thank you."

Crap.

He had just given up.

**I hope it lived up to the hype. I'll have the next chappie soon. Pics on my profile.**

**I saw Breaking Dawn yesterday. I thought it was good. They could have had a better Carlisle wig and better makeup…but I loved it. What are your thoughts?**


	16. AN Chapter Mix Up

**EMOTIONAL WARFARE**

**Hey, guys! Sorry I didn't get this up yesterday. I took a nap and it spiraled out of control. You know how it is. Anyway…**

**Chapter 16**

**EDWARD**

"We need to plan their engagement party!" my mom announced excitedly, looking like she was getting ready to plan the royal wedding.

It was over.

We really were in too deep now.

We might as well actually get married.

I didn't want to get married in a church, considering that we were lying. We should probably have a beach wedding.

I wondered what Bella's dress would look like. No matter what, she would be beautiful because, well…she was a beautiful woman.

Even though we had only officially been a couple for a day, it was still hard to believe that she wanted to be with me. I just wished that we weren't getting married so soon. Wasn't that how they did in the old days? A man would court a woman for like, a week, then he'd propose and the couple would get married. I mean, Bella and I had known each other forever. She was beautiful. She was smart. She was funny. My family loved her. She would make an awesome wife. I assumed we would wait to have children until we were married for a few years.

Having babies with Bella…

_Making_ babies with Bella…

Mmm….

That sounded like fun.

I immediately felt like a pervert…at least a little. I couldn't help but think about what had happened last night. It appeared that in addition to furthering our romantic relationship, we seemed to be progressing in the physical aspect as well. Considering we had only been together a day and we'd gone so far, some might feel like we were going too fast. However, I couldn't explain it, but I felt like it was right. Being with Bella, be it talking or being physical, it came so easily for me it was like breathing. She was amazing. All that aside, let's face it, I might have been a nerd…but I _was_ a man. I still couldn't believe she liked me that way…in a girlfriend/boyfriend way…in a _sexual_ way.

So what? Everyone I knew thought I was getting married to an awesome girl and now our families were throwing us an engagement party and they would most likely plan our wedding without us, all of this happening under false pretenses. I suppose I could do worse.

I found myself smiling as I looked at Bella.

Wow. She was so beautiful…

Uh oh.

Her eye was twitching.

I'd never seen that before.

It was pretty bad.

"Isn't that awesome, honey?" I asked Bella and kissed her eye. It stopped twitching. Obviously, I had missed something in my perusal of my fiancée. She seemed to be freaking out a bit.

"You guys don't have to do that," Bella tried to regain ground. "You guys just found out…"

"None of that," mom waved it off. "It's our pleasure. I'm just so happy!" she hugged us.

"Yes, yes," Renee stepped in, "Of course we are." She took a measuring tape out of her purse. "I need to measure the lovely couple," she smiled.

"Okay," mom sniffled. "I have to go arrange things for the party and call Heidi."

"You," Renee pointed to me while taking out her phone, "I see you in Dolce…head to toe," she motioned over to me. "Bella," she moved to her daughter, "There's a corset Versace with your name on it." She typed something on her phone then reached for me. "These have to go," she declared and snatched my glasses from my face. I was instantly blind.

"Hey," I heard Bella call, "Give them back!"

"Bella," Renee sighed, "You can't deny that he'll look better. Just look at those stunning green eyes."

"But he likes his glasses," I heard her say softly. I remembered when Bella kept coming after me to wear my contacts. She even made me agree to wear them in exchange for her to stop wearing wigs. "I grew to like them," she whispered in my ear, running her fingers through my hair, as if she'd heard my last thought. "Give them back, Mom."

"Photographers are coming to shoot you guys," Renee countered. "His glasses will cause a glare and mess up the picture. No," she ended the conversation and I heard the sound of high heels clicking away.

"Do you have a spare pair of glasses?" Bella asked.

"In my room," I told her.

"Okay," she grabbed my hand and led me upstairs. "Do you know where they are?"

"Not really," I admitted. "I forgot."

"They're here somewhere," she said and I heard drawers opening and closing. "I'll find them."

"Thanks," I sat down, too blind to help her search.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "She's overbearing. You can't have a hair out of place."

"It's okay, Bella."

"No, it's not," she huffed. "Her bossing me around is one thing, but her being rude to you…" I couldn't see her, but I knew she was shaking her head.

"Once the party is over, I'm sure she'll back off."

"You don't know Renee," Bella groaned.

"We'll be the perfect couple and they'll fly back to New York and we won't see them until the wedding," I started laughing.

I was getting married.

"Don't give up, Edward," Bella shook my shoulders. "We'll find a way out of this. We have to," she kissed my cheek. I felt my cheek heating up. "Aww…" she kissed me again.

"Shut up," I blushed brighter.

"No," she giggled, planting a wet kiss on my mouth. I loved kissing her. Bella had the best lips.

"Your kisses are amazing," I whispered against her lips.

"Yours aren't too bad, either." She pushed up from me and I heard her get on the floor to look under the bed. I willed my vision to clear so I could stare at her ass. It didn't work. "I can't find them," she huffed.

"My contacts are in my smaller bag," I pointed in the general direction of my luggage.

"No," Bella refused, "When you give up, she wins."

"Bella," I found myself shaking my head, "I'd rather not be blind for the rest of the day just so you can prove a point."

"Okay," she sighed and I heard the sound of zippers. "I've got it." She grabbed my hand and led me into the bathroom. "Do you need help?" she asked. "I know touching your eyeball freaks you out."

"Please," I smiled and she pushed me to sit on the toilet lid.

"This won't take long," she smiled, getting the contacts ready.

Twenty minutes later…

"Open your eyes, Edward!" she ordered and I saw a blurry vision of her before she straddled my lap. "Look at me," she said and I felt her finger inching closer to my eye.

No!

"Edward!" she giggled, shoving my shoulder, "I can't put it in if you keep closing your eyes," she chided me. "Open," she ordered again.

"Humph," I pouted, opening my eyes and she tried again. "Ahhh!" my hand automatically swatted her finger away.

"Edward!" she shrieked, "I almost dropped it."

"Sorry," I breathed. "Let's try it again."

"Edward!" she chided again when I closed my eyes.

"Sorry," I wiped my eyes. "I can't help it. It's a reflex. Having shit in your eye isn't natural," I excused.

"What am I going to do with you?" she kissed my nose.

"Not put contacts in my eyes?" I questioned, knowing it wouldn't fly.

"Open," she said for the twentieth time. "Edward!"

"Sorry," I opened my eyes.

She was starting to get a little pissed. I could tell because she was not blinking when she looked at me.

"Alright," I breathed out, "Let's do this."

She tilted her head and looked at me, shaking her head. A smile suddenly crept up on her face. Then…she put my hands on her boobs.

"When you want to swat me away, grope the ladies," she smirked.

"Can do," I grinned slowly.

"You're such a man," she chuckled. "Okay, take twenty-seven," she sighed as I saw the outline of her finger inching toward my face. "Op…oh," she moaned as I began to knead her breasts in my hands.

"Am I distracting you?" I asked, a smile threatening my face.

"No," she giggled before slowly grinding her hips against my growing erection. "What makes you think that?" she asked, kissing my neck.

"I don't know," I replied, moving one hand to palm her ass.

"Is it this?" she asked, rolling her hips particularly hard against me before swiveling them up. Oh God. Then, I felt something. "Blink!" she yelled.

"Huh?" I blinked.

"Yes!" she shouted, raising her arms. "It's in."

I was now only half blind.

"You tricked me," I raised an eyebrow, still touching her.

"No," she blushed, still kissing and grinding with me. "That was just a bonus," she chuckled. "Now, let's get the right eye in."

Damn it.

Fifteen minutes later, we had both contacts in. It was nice not to be blind. Although they were hell getting in, I must confess that my vision was a lot better with them.

"Look," Bella said, pulling me up from the toilet, "You can see your eyes," she turned me to look in the mirror.

I didn't find myself staring at my reflection. I was too captivated by the woman standing next to me. With glasses, I knew Bella was beautiful. But with contacts, she was…ethereal. It was like I could see new things about her. How bright and wide her smile was. How beautiful her eyes were. Most thought brown eyes were boring or plain because they were so common. Bella's sparkled when she smiled, like she was now. Plus, I noticed the small group of freckles that were scattered across her nose. They were cute.

Wow.

I liked these contacts.

"Bella, you're beautiful," I whispered to her. I was not sure if I had ever told her that.

"Aww…" she waved me off, blushing. "That's sweet…"

"No," I told her, "You really are beautiful, Bella."

A long silence enveloped us, and then Bella smiled and put her hand on my cheek, "You're beautiful, too," she kissed me, "Here…and here," she placed a kiss over my heart. I felt my heart jump at her touch.

I took her face in my hands, staring into her eyes and noticed her leaning toward me.

"Edward…" she whispered, leaning closer.

"Bella…"

"Oh!" Victoria opened the door, "There you are…"

Damn it.

"Vic…" Bella huffed, turning toward her friend.

"What?" she asked. "It's not like you two were fucking," she giggled, "Were you?"

"No," we glared in unison.

I put my arms around Bella's waist and she rested her head on my shoulder.

"You guys are so fucking cute," Vic smiled at us.

"We do make a good team," I bent down to kiss Bella.

"So, which dress?" Vic questioned Bella. "This one," she held up a black dress with thin red stripes, "Or this one," she held up a blue and silver sparkly dress. "I want to look hot…but I don't want people to think I'm trying to upstage you," she said, holding each dress up to her chest.

"Blue and silver, definitely," Bella pointed to the dress. "It sparkles. I love sparkle."

"Me, too," Vic nodded nervously. "Shoes?" she asked, trying on two different types of shoes, one style on each foot. The left was plain silver. The right was silver, but it had shards of metal stuff on it.

"Left," Bella nodded, "You don't want too much sparkle."

"Jewelry?"

"Feel free to raid my collection," Bella giggled. "Is this because James will be there?" she teased and Victoria's smile dropped. "You seem extra eager to please."

"Maybe," Vic rolled her eyes and her phone vibrated. "Ugh."

"Who is it?"

"James," she huffed. "He's asking if I'm going to the party. Duh?" she shook her head. "It's my best friend's engagement party. He's using this as an excuse to talk to me," she pointed out. "Desperate much?" she giggled.

"At least he's trying," Bella pointed out. "You sooo want him."

"Bitch," Vic muttered and left the room.

"She's in denial," Bella giggled.

"They'll make a very scary couple," I shuddered, thinking of all the crazy shit James had said and done in high school. Then, I thought of the things I knew Victoria was capable of.

Oh God.

"Yeah," Bella nodded her head, "They'll be the white Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown."

"Uncle Eddie," Lexi and Megan came into the room.

"Hey, ladies," I smiled, picking them up.

"You don't have your glasses on," Megan noticed.

"Can you see?" Lexi asked nervously, looking at the ground.

"Yeah," Bella answered and kissed the girls on their heads. "He has on contacts."

"Oh," they said together.

"You're eyes are _really_ green," Lexi said, looking at me.

"Yeah," Megan agreed, "You look like Nana Esme," she said, "Except you're a boy."

"She's pretty so that makes you handsome," Lexi smiled and kissed my cheek.

"Thank you," I kissed them.

"Aunty Bella," Megan asked, "What are you wearing to the party?"

"I don't know, sweetie," Bella answered. "I'll have to see."

"You'll look pretty, anyway," Lexi smiled at her. "Daddy says when a lady is pretty, it doesn't matter what she's wearing…and you're really pretty," she nodded her head.

"Yes, she is," I walked over to kiss Bella's cheek.

"Flatterers," Bella rolled her eyes, "All of you."

"Auntie Bella?" Megan asked.

"Yes, sweetie?" Bella ran her fingers through my hair.

"I love you," Megan smiled.

The room fell silent and Bella's face flattened.

"I love you, too, honey," she hugged my niece. "I love you, too, Lexi," she whispered to my little sister and the four of us shared a big hug.

"I just wanted to tell you," my niece smiled as I let her down and she ran for the door. "It's time for me to start getting ready!"

"Bella," Lexi held onto Bella's hand, "You're mommy is pretty, too."

"She knows," Bella shook her head smirking.

"Oh," Lexi shrugged her shoulders. "Okay."

"That was unexpected," Bella informed after a short silence.

"You're a loveable person, Bella."

"Let's see what everyone else is doing," she suggested, leading the way out of the room.

We went downstairs to see my mom talking feverishly on the phone with caterers. Dad was watching TV, while Renee was marking on sketches and articles. It was probably for the magazine. Phil was looking over some contracts, and we heard Charlie talking to someone on his cell. He looked up at us and quickly got off the phone.

"Hey, sweetie," Charlie got up and hugged Bella. "Edward," he shook my hand in a firm handshake.

"Sir," I winced, shaking back.

"Bella," he started, "About what we talked about earlier…"

"No," Bella answered firmly, walking away.

She was mad about something. What had happened? Was it about what they had been talking about earlier? Bella and her parents had stepped out earlier to have a talk. When they came back, they all seemed a little tense.

"Shit," Charlie muttered as his phone rang.

I followed Bella to the terrace outside to see her lounging on a chair, overlooking the garden.

"What was that about?" I asked, curious.

"Nothing," she sighed.

Here we go again…

"If it's nothing, then it shouldn't matter if you tell me."

"My dad thinks you're after me for my money," she looked at me.

"Huh?"

"He thinks you're a gold-digger," she nonchalantly continued. "He took one look at you and demanded that I get you to sign a pre-nup."

"I don't need your money," I said, motioning to the house surrounding us. I didn't have money like Charlie, but I was quite wealthy. I was far from poor.

"Which is what I said," she pointed out. "Dad always thinks someone wants something from him," she sighed.

"Well…"

Unfortunately, I understood Charlie's plight, at least somewhat. I mean, he was the richest man in the country. I assumed Bella had access to a considerable amount of that wealth because she was his sole heir. He was protecting her.

"He didn't have the decency to watch you first," she mumbled. "He just assumed the only reason why a man would want to marry me would be to get closer to his fortune."

Oh. That was…

"Harsh," I sat next to her. "Well…I guess I'll just have to be the perfect fiancé then." I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her hair. "You've been the perfect girlfriend all week. It's my turn to bat."

For the most part, Bella had kept my family off of my back for the whole week. The least I could do would be to help her with her parents. The tables had definitely turned.

"Good," she smiled and held my hand.

"Here you are," Renee came to us, holding two garment bags. "It's time for you to get ready," she handed us each a bag of clothes. "I've got a team of hair and makeup people coming to help us tonight," she told Bella. "We should be leaving at around eight o'clock."

"The dinner starts at eight."

"Fashionably late," she said, taking Bella. "I've got you a barber. You look scruffy," she told me before leaving.

I found a spare bathroom to get ready in. I took a quick shower and washed my hair in an attempt to wash away all of the nerves. I never thought my day would have taken this turn. I woke up a newly-engaged man by accident. Now, I was an engaged man having an impromptu engagement party on a massive yacht owned by my girlfriend's father who happened to be the richest man in the country.

Oh God.

What…a…day.

"Edward," I heard Alice call through the door, "Put on your dress pants and undershirt so you can get your hair cut."

I followed orders and came out of the bathroom to see a short man with pale skin standing behind a chair.

"Sit," he pointed to the chair in the middle of the room, "We don't have time to talk."

He was a lot less insulting than the first man who had cut my hair in Boston. He was finished in less than thirty minutes and I finished getting ready. Renee had picked out a white suit jacket with a blue button-down shirt and black slacks and shoes. I looked in the mirror and noticed that my hair had more of a slicked-back look, but it was nothing like how I'd worn my hair before. It was nice, I guess.

"Lookin' good, bro," Emmett smiled, patting me on the back.

"You almost look as good as me," Jasper said, showing me his navy blue suit and tie.

"Please," dad chuckled, walking into the room, "You all wish you looked as good as me," he popped the collar on his black suit with a grey button-down.

"There you guys are," Rose came in, fixing Emmett's tie. She was wearing a red dress with a slit up the thigh.

"The car is here," Alice stepped up in her purple gown with the girls following behind her. "Let's go."

"Uncle Eddie," Lexi beamed, "Aunty Bella looks pretty."

"Yeah," Megan nodded her head. "She's a hottie."

Rose straightened all of the guys' ties. "Come on, we need to get a move on."

"Okay," we said in unison, following everyone to the entryway.

"I can't breathe," I heard Bella whimper, causing me to turn around.

Whoa...

"Bella…" I paused, taking her in. "You look…you look…"

Her gown was a light champagne color with a built-in corset in it. The corset was a stitched in dark gold with straps over the shoulder and the hips. Her hair was pinned into a high up-do and pieces of hair fell around the sides of her face.

Amazing.

"You look rather dashing, Mr. Cullen," she smiled, smoothing out my suit jacket.

"Thank you," I smiled, sweeping a tendril from her cheek.

"It's the truth," she shrugged as I weaved my arm through hers.

"Perfect," Renee sighed, looking at us. She had on a cream dress with gold accessories. "Bella, stand up straight, you're slouching," she ordered. "Neck up. It looks like you're staring at your feet. Don't worry, they're still there," she said. "Better," she nodded before taking a brush to my head. "You and this damn cowlick," she hissed, shaking her head. She stepped back before muttering, "I suppose that's as good as it's going to get," she looked us over and walked away.

"Let's go to the car," Bella tugged on my arm.

"Not so fast," Charlie came out wearing a blue velvet jacket, a blue and white striped button-down shirt, and white pants with white and brown shoes. His hair was slicked back and he was putting on what appeared to be diamond cufflinks. "Beautiful," he kissed his daughter on her forehead.

"Thank you," she grinned, hugging him.

"Here," he handed me a set of car keys, "Take my car. I'll take Bella's car."

"You just miss it," Bella rolled her eyes.

"Of course I do," he chuckled. "I built it."

"As a present for me."

"Which you hated," he came back. "Don't deny it."

"It was still a gift from you," Bella pointed out.

Wait.

"You built Cheetah?" I asked in awe.

"Yeah…with my bare hands," he held his hands up. "She didn't know what kind of car she wanted for her birthday so I built her one. There's technology in that thing that won't be released for another five years…minimum," he said smugly.

That explained a lot.

Voice recognition.

Driving by itself.

Auto-adjusting.

"Wow," I whispered.

"Thanks, Dad," Bella smiled.

"See you later," he waved behind him as he left, heading for the yacht.

"Shall we?" I asked, pointing to the door.

"We shall."

I stepped up to the Bugatti and ran my hand across the door. It smelled so…

"Nice," I drawled out as I opened the door for her.

"Yeah, yeah," she giggled, slipping into the car. "Just plug the return address into the GPS and we're on our way." I entered the information and we were off.

I reached over the gear shift to grab her hand and once again, the sparks enveloped us. We looked at each other and shared a grin before she looked out the window. She looked so beautiful. I felt like I was always thinking that when I was with her. But…she was.

Beautiful.

Funny.

Smart.

Mine.

Wait…

Then, I realized something.

"Hey," I whispered, squeezing her hand.

"What?" she smiled looking at me.

"This is our first date," I grinned, kissing her hand.

"Really?" she asked. "You'd better be taking me someplace nice then," she ordered, crossing her arms playfully.

"You know me," I said, pulling into the parking lot. "There's a Big Mac with your name on it."

"Ick," she shuddered. "I don't think I'll ever be able to stomach another one of those after that drinking binge we went on," she shook her head.

"Ooh," I shared her sentiment, remembering how sick she had been the next day. "I thought you were going to barf up a lung."

"I felt like it," she nodded.

The sound of conversation and music consumed the silence in the car as we saw people walking from their cars to the dock.

"You ready?" I asked her.

"I have no choice but to be," she sighed.

"You're right," I agreed, getting out of the car to unlock her door.

It was a bit chilly outside, so I wrapped my arm around her to keep her warm and we started walking toward the dock. The sounds of the party increased with every step and I found myself a little nervous.

"I'm nervous, too," she confided. "I can feel you shaking a little," she hugged my waist.

"I just want to impress your dad," I confessed.

It was true. Even though Bella and I weren't really engaged, we were still dating. It would be nice to have her parents' approval. From the conversation Bella and I had had earlier, it seemed that I was starting out at a deficit as far as her father was concerned.

"It'll be okay," she rubbed my back. "I'll watch your back, you watch mine."

"Sounds like a deal," I smiled.

"To give you a little warning," she started slowing down, "Daddy loves his toys, so his yacht is pretty…"

"Oh…shit," I gasped looking at the vessel on the water.

This wasn't a yacht. It was more of a floating…something big. The entire thing was silver with glass windows surrounding most of the ship. You could see many of the guests talking and partying through the glass. The bottom of the ship was illuminated with dark blue and green lights and it looked like a portion of the lower level had glass so the passengers could see the ocean as they sailed.

"I expected that," she mumbled, walking up the ramp.

It was so…huge.

How did it float?

"I have no idea how this thing floats," Bella said to herself as Renee grabbed us by our shoulders and pulled us on board.

"Oh God," Renee mumbled, "You can't arrive on the same avenue as the guests," she said, as if it was the most basic fact of life. "Have I taught you nothing?" she snapped at Bella.

"Well, I didn't think it was that big…"

"Here," she introduced us to a bald, effeminate man holding a camera. "Howard is going to take some photos for the article."

"What article?" we asked.

"The one that's going to be in Vogue," Renee answered. "You didn't think I planned this party to be nice, did you?" she huffed.

"You didn't do anything," Bella countered, "Esme did."

"Whatever," she waved the photographer over. "The lighting over here is nice with the waves of the water in the background," she moved us over by a balcony.

"This is unnecessary," Bella griped to her mother. "Let us enjoy the party."

"You will…after you take the fucking pictures," Renee hissed. "God! You would've thought I asked you to cut off your arm or something."

"We don't need to be in Vogue, Mother!" Bella crossed her arms. "I'm wearing this stupid dress, isn't that enough? This isn't a fashion event!"

"Sweetie," her mother inched closer, "Every event I go to is a fashion event. Now stop being so damn difficult and take the pictures." She ran her fingers through my hair, "Henry, Edward here is a little pale so you'll have to take that into account. Plus, Bella has some problems with her complexion. I want these edited to perfection…without looking edited."

"I'm being difficult?" Bella growled. "I'm not the one who called this guy without telling me!"

"I knew you'd complain about it."

"Hmm…" Bella put her thumb under her chin, "Who would get upset over someone volunteering them for something without asking?" she asked. "How unlikely."

"You know what?" Renee started, "Never mind." She snapped her fingers at the photographer, "I'm sorry, sweetness," she kissed the man on his cheek, "See? I told you how she is," she nodded her head in Bella's direction and handed the man a check. "I don't know why I bother sometimes."

"Come on," Bella grabbed my hand. "Let's go."

"I'm sorry," I rubbed her hand. "I would've done it."

"No," she shook her head, "_Some_ of our boundaries have to remain."

"Oh my," mom beamed, coming to greet us. She was wearing a nice deep orange dress with one shoulder. "This is so lovely," she looked around.

We were on one of the decks of the yacht. It was surrounded by white lounge chairs, tables, and sofas. A small caged fire pit with blue, white, and green mosaic tiles blazed in the center, providing a nice source of heat. A swimming pool was filled with floating candles on top of the lights shining from the bottom of the pool. Guests were sitting by the pool talking while others looked around. Soft music blared through the speakers, as members of the catering staff served the guests hors d'oeuvres and champagne.

"Esme, honey," Jane Ingram came up from behind mom and hugged her, "This is…beyond fabulous," she gushed, looking around.

"Thank you," mom hugged her friend. "Bella, we couldn't have done it without your father letting us use his ship. Please, thank him when you see him."

"Of course."

"Yes," Heidi came over with a sneer on her face, "I suppose it's nice for a last-minute production."

"Shut up, Heidi," Jane sighed, closing her eyes in obvious annoyance. "When I heard that your parents were in town, I almost died," she hugged Bella. "I figured you wanted to keep them on a need-to-know basis," she paused, "since you got your friend to _attempt_ to get me drunk at the luncheon," she smiled, winking.

"Uh…" Bella started.

"It's okay," Jane waved it off. "I played along and got free drinks. It was a win-win," she smirked. "Plus, it was nice to watch Heidi squirm for information," she giggled.

"What?" Heidi shrieked.

"It takes a lot more than just a couple of martinis and Mai Tai's to get _me_ drunk," Jane raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of Mai Tai's," she walked over to the bar.

"Hey, Edward," James walked up to me.

"James?" I dragged out his name. No matter how many times he had talked to me, I couldn't help but feel awkward and a little scared at his presence.

"Charlie's daughter?" he asked, shaking his head and smiling. "I must admit…I underestimated you," he shook my hand.

"It's not because…"

"Let's cut the shit," he interrupted. "Where's Victoria?"

"I don't know…"

"I know you know where she is," he huffed.

"Really, I…"

"I just want to talk," he rushed. "Did she get the flowers?" I nodded. "Did she like them?" he asked quickly. I shrugged my shoulder. "Shit. I knew I should've gotten her something more exotic," he chided himself. "Did she _hate_ them?"

"They were appreciated," Bella chimed in.

"Oh," he exhaled, "Good."

"I don't know where she is exactly, but she's around here somewhere," Bella smiled. "Make sure not to get lost," she added as he walked away.

"He's got it bad," I shook my head.

"Yeah," Bella giggled.

"Those are lovely pictures, Bella," Heidi said, pointing to the screens above the deck.

Oh. I didn't notice those. There were several flat-screen TVs on deck. They were playing pictures of me and Bella through the years.

"Did you try to model?" she asked Bella.

"She modeled for Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, Chanel, Gucci…" Alice answered with pride.

"I haven't seen any of the ads," Heidi huffed.

"They only ran in Europe," Bella explained. "I stopped when I started college."

"Oh," Heidi sighed as a white light started to blink and my and Bella's parents appeared on the top of the deck where they also started to appear on the TV screens.

"Hello, and good evening," Renee started and the crowd erupted into thunderous applause. "On behalf of everyone involved in this occasion, thank you all for coming tonight," mom smiled waving and the crowd clapped again.

"Tonight," Charlie stepped up, "We're here to celebrate the impending union of our children, Edward and Bella," he pointed to us and started clapping.

"We've only known our dear Bella for a couple of days, but during our time together, we're excited to say she's become a member of our family. We're so happy that we'll get to call her our daughter sometime in the near future," dad smiled at us.

"Oh shit," Bella hissed through her smile.

"I only met the lovely Edward this morning, but he seems to be a great match for Bella," Renee looked at us. "I look forward to…getting to know you later. Also, everyone," she stood up taller, "Mark your calendars for the second Saturday of next November because that's when our lovebirds will be tying the knot," she giggled, clapping her hands and everyone joined in.

"What?" mom and dad asked, looking at her in surprise.

"What the Hell?" Bella asked me. "She set the date for our wedding?" she seethed. "She…she's only been here a day…and she…"

"Relax…" I encouraged, hugging her from behind so she wouldn't do anything rash in front of all these people. "Relax…" I said again.

"I can't believe…"

"Remember the plan," I whispered in her ear and kissed her neck.

"As a sign of well wishes, I got the happy couple a gift," Charlie smiled as a drum roll sounded through the boat. "A PRIVATE ISLAND OFF THE COAST OF THAILAND!" he yelled as a picture of an island popped up on the screen and the crowd started to cheer. "I know, I know," he waved it off. "I love you, sweetie," he pointed to Bella. "I'm having a house built on it for you."

"Whoa," Heidi gasped, staring at Charlie.

"Oh God," Bella's head collapsed on my shoulder.

"Well…" dad settled everyone down, "Eat, drink, and be merry. Dinner will be ready shortly," he smiled and they stepped down.

"Shit," I muttered.

"Why did we think it would get better?"

I had to go pee.

Some had to take a dump when they got nervous or stressed. Me? I peed.

"Oh, how lucky you are," Jane came back, sipping on a drink. "There are some guests who'd like to speak with the lady of the hour," she grinned, grabbing Bella by the hand.

"Sweetie?" she asked. She didn't want to be left alone.

"I have to go to the bathroom," I told her and she frowned. "I'll be back soon. I promise," I kissed her forehead.

I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. Talking to those women at the luncheon was one thing. Being forced to talk to them again within a three-day period was torture. If I didn't get back soon, Bella might jump overboard to save herself. I wouldn't blame her.

The yacht was so big that the staff had printed out "You Are Here" maps and had them stationed at various parts of the boat. I grabbed one and quickly found a restroom. This was out of control. I couldn't wait until Bella and I could get back to Boston and be a real new couple filled with awkwardness and make out like normal people.

When did this become so difficult?

I washed my hands and my phone started buzzing. It was Emmett.

**Em: HELP! We're lost. **

I rolled my eyes.

**Me: Don't you have a map?**

**Em: It's confusing. **

**Me: Only you would get lost with a map. **

**Em: We're by the big glass window. The girls wanted to look at the fish underwater. **

**Me: I'm coming. **

I grabbed my map to go hunt down Emmett. With my luck, and the sheer size of this boat, I might get lost, too. I took out my phone to call Bella to get her help. She probably knew where to look. That way, I wouldn't get…

"Edward!" I heard Tanya call my name. "There you are."

"Tanya?" I asked, confused.

She was here? I didn't see her on the deck with the rest of the guests.

"Of course," she nudged my shoulder. "I was looking for you in the party and got lost."

"I was on the deck…with the rest of the guests. I saw your mom," I told her. "You guys didn't come together?" I asked.

How could Heidi find me and she couldn't?

She had on a tight red dress that was a bit low cut for it to be so cold outside. I hated to be mean, but her gut was protruding a bit, too. This outfit wasn't a wise choice.

"Oh," her smile deflated. "I must have missed you."

"It's a big boat," I laughed awkwardly, holding up the chart. "I don't blame you."

"Wow," she stepped closer, "I can't believe you're getting married."

I couldn't, either.

"Well…" I shrugged my shoulder, "When you know, you know," I told her.

Why was she standing so close?

"It's just…" she started, "Wow," she shook her head.

I was starting to feel a little weird, so I began back on my way to find Emmett.

"Em got lost, I need to go find him," I started walking.

"I'll help," she volunteered, hurrying to catch up with me. "I take direction well…" she smirked at me, taking the map from my hand. "You remember, don't you?" she asked, inching closer towards me.

Was she hitting on me?

She couldn't be.

She had dumped me.

She had Riley.

I was being silly.

Besides, I was engaged. Well…she thought I was engaged. Surely she wouldn't hit on me if she thought I was engaged.

Regardless of my thoughts, it didn't feel right to be with her. Something was off.

"I think I should…"

"Bella looks really beautiful tonight," Tanya interrupted, looking at the sky. "She cleans up nice."

Bella was always beautiful.

Wait a minute...

"I thought you said you didn't see me," I questioned her.

"I didn't."

"I've been with Bella the whole time," I said suspiciously. "If you saw her, you saw me."

"I saw her when you went to the bathroom," she rolled her eyes.

That didn't sound right, either.

"You told me you were lost," I admitted, feeling more out of place by the second.

"I am lost," she said. "I was lost," she whispered, coming closer to me.

"Hey, guys," Victoria interrupted, quickly walking up to us, leaning on the wall, "What are we talking about?"

"Nothing," Tanya rolled her eyes.

"It looked pretty secretive to me," Vic looked at Tanya, not blinking.

"Someone should mind their own business," Tanya snarled.

"Someone needs some Spanx," Victoria countered.

"I'm not fat!" Tanya crossed her arms.

"I guess it's just that your body makes your outfit look small," Vic giggled, raising an eyebrow.

"Shut your face!"

"Yeah," Vic deadpanned, "That's physically possible."

"You know what I meant," Tanya hissed.

Victoria just looked at Tanya and shook her head. Then, she turned to me, "Alice just texted me. She, Jasper, Emmett, Rose, and the girls got lost looking at the animals. They thought you got lost, too, so they called Bella. She's being held hostage by your mom's friends so she sent me," she said, taking the map from Tanya's hand. "They aren't that far," she said, looking at the map.

"I was helping him," Tanya tried to take the map back.

"Sure you were," Vic rolled her eyes, holding the map out of her reach.

"Bitch," Tanya muttered.

"Call me a bitch again and I'll kick your fat ass," Vic hissed at her.

"I'm not fat!"

"Let's go," Vic grabbed my arm and led me back to the hallway.

That was tense. Victoria could get a little scary. She saved me from the awkwardness, though, so I was thankful.

"Thanks," I smiled at her. "It was getting weird out there."

"That's what friends are for," she pushed my head.

"James is looking for you," I warned her.

"He should be," she smirked, checking the map.

"He really likes you."

"What's not to like?" she grinned.

I followed her down the hallway in silence.

"It's nice that you and Bella are finally together," she broke the silence, bending the corner of the map.

"It is," I smiled, thinking about Bella. "Even though we're in the middle of this shit storm right now, it's pretty awesome being with her. She's so..."

"Awesome?" Vic finished the sentence.

"Yeah," I nodded. "She's not just gorgeous. She's…"

"I get it," Vic giggled. "My best friend is what you like to call…the shit," she smiled. "I'm happy she has someone now," she paused. "She's been lonely…with her absentee parents and all…" she led off.

"I don't get what she sees in me," I told her honestly.

It was nice to talk to someone who knew what was going on. Vic wasn't as wild as I had thought.

"You don't give yourself any credit," Vic shook her head. "Even before you got rid of the nerdy thing, Bella still had the hots for you."

"Huh?" I stopped in my tracks.

"She'd kill me if she found out I told you this," she smiled. "Of course, she was in denial about her affection for you…but I could see it…in both of you," she shrugged her shoulders. "I'm just happy you two got over your reservations," she giggled.

"We just started going out," I told her.

"Officially," she rolled her eyes, "But you two have been a couple in my mind since Bella told me about the whole McDonald's and vodka party you had. I'm super pissed I wasn't invited, by the way," she added. "Anyway, you two have been unofficially official for a while."

"How?" I raised my eyebrow.

Of course, I'd always thought Bella was beautiful, but it was not like I saw her _that_ way.

"Please," she chuckled, "That outdoor fair thing…her movie thing…not to mention that you were her tutor."

"Friends."

"Not to other people," she countered. "You two always had that googly-eyed look on your faces. It was fucking cute," she winked. "You were in denial."

"Like how you are about James?" I asked, smirking.

"Asshole," she whispered and I laughed.

I continued to follow her for a couple more minutes before she broke the silence again.

"Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you fucking stupid?" she asked, hitting my forehead with the palm of her hand.

"Ouch!" I rubbed my head. "What? Why?"

"What were you doing talking to your ex…by yourself…at your engagement party?"

"She approached me. She just wanted to talk."

"It didn't feel weird?" she raised an eyebrow.

"A little," I confessed, "She kept…leaning towards me."

"She wants to fuck you," Vic said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What?" I asked. "She dumped me. I think it's safe to say that she doesn't like me."

"You're so naive," she shook her head. "Tanya is a slut…who wants to fuck you."

"But…"

"Edward," she interrupted me, "I'm not sure if you noticed, but I'm a slut…a slut with a heart of gold…but a slut nonetheless," she confessed. "So, believe me when I say…it takes one to know one. She was hitting on you."

"No, she…"

"Yes, she was," she interrupted me again. "Can you imagine what could've happened if someone saw that?" she asked. "I saved your ass."

"I wasn't going to do anything," I told her honestly.

I would never do that to Bella.

"Good," she huffed at me, "Because if you did, I'd kick your ass," she looked menacingly into my eyes before I felt a tiny body ram into my legs.

"Uncle Eddie!"

"Ms. Vicky!"

"You found us!" Lexi shouted as Megan hugged my leg.

"Oh, thank God," Alice smiled, hugging us.

"We're missing the party," Jasper complained.

"It's pretty ballin'," Vic admitted.

"I'm hungry," Emmett rubbed his belly.

"You took a whole tray of hors d'oeuvres before we came down here," Rose reminded him.

"Exactly," Em said, "They were appetizers."

"Dinner should be ready in a bit," I informed them.

"There you guys are," Bella came from behind us. "I'm sorry you guys got lost," she apologized.

"It's okay," Em waved it off.

"We got to see some of the fish!" Lexi lit up.

"They looked pretty with all of the lights," Megan added as Emmett picked her up and kissed her cheek.

"Let's get to the party," Alice said.

"Follow me," Vic said, leading the crew back down the hall.

"Wait," Bella grabbed my arm, "Let's wait a bit," she suggested. "I don't think I can take much more schmoozing with the guests," she huffed.

"Sorry I left you alone," I kissed her forehead. "I had to help them."

"It's okay," she blushed. "I can handle it."

"This is a really big boat," I told her.

"You should see the jet," she giggled, resting her head on my shoulder. "Later. Dad is having it repaired," she rolled her eyes. "Wanna see something cool?" she asked.

"What kind of question is that?" I asked, "Of course."

"Follow me." She took my hand and we ran through the halls until we reached a flight of stairs. She took off her shoes and we walked to a door. "It's such a nice night outside," she opened it and we walked outside.

"Wow," I said, looking off the back of the ship at the ocean waves leading to the coast and skyline of the city in the distance.

"This is my dad's helicopter pad. This is the real view," she said waving out toward the horizon.

"I'd say so." I handed her my jacket so she wouldn't get her dress dirty. She walked onto the pad and spread the jacket out and then she lay down. I lay on the jacket with her so we were sharing it a little. I held her close to me and we looked up at the moon and stars. "It's so clear," I whispered.

She was right. This was the real view.

"I know," she smiled. "Everything seems so much more…pure on the ocean," she smiled. "Close your eyes," she told me before following her own suggestion. "Listen." I followed suit, my senses instantly heightening, picking up the smell of salt, the sound of the waves, and the feeling of the breeze across my skin. "Whenever I come up here, I just close my eyes and listen to the ocean and the birds," I heard her whisper. I found her hand in the darkness and squeezed it, just wanting to touch her.

We lay in the darkness and silence, just listening for what felt like hours. I heard her tiny giggle and peeked through my eyelashes to look at her. She still had her eyes closed.

"What?" I asked, staring at her.

"One time, when I was fifteen, I came out here to relax. I stared at the sky…doing exactly what we're doing now," she paused. "I ended up falling asleep for the whole night right here," she laughed. "When I woke up, the Coast Guard was storming the boat. The captain thought somebody had kidnapped me because no one knew where I was," she started giggling.

"The captain?"

"Dad was busy," she shrugged her shoulders. "As you probably guessed, Renee' wasn't allowed, but my dad would let me use the yacht, just me and the crew who sailed it. I sailed all over the world…alone," she finished. I saw a small tear fall down her cheek. I didn't want her to know I saw it so I fought my nature to wipe it from her face. I always knew that Bella was angry at her father for not being there. But I didn't know it made her so sad.

"What time is it?" she asked, wiping her face.

"Uh…" I paused, reaching for my phone. "It's 10:45."

"We've been up here for an hour and a half?" she asked.

"It felt like ten minutes," I said.

"Time flies when you're having fun," she huffed, getting up and brushing off her dress. "Alright, back to the party."

"Ugh," I griped, walking to the door.

"Hey!" she shrieked. "You weren't the one having to smile every ten seconds," she giggled and a ton of business cards fell out of her purse. "People tend to give me their contact information when they know who my father is. So far…I've got forty-five."

"Wow," I shook my head, walking down the steps.

"I have to pee," she said, stepping inside the restroom. "I'll be out in a minute."

"I'll wait," I took a seat. There was no way I was going to attempt to make it back on my own.

"Edward," I heard Charlie's voice as I turned around, "What are you doing around here? Lost?" he asked.

"No," I shook my head, "Waiting for Bella."

"Oh," he nodded his head and checked his watch. "Come here for a second," he said, scanning his thumb to open one of the doors. "I'm secretive," he joked. "Come on," he waved me inside.

"Okay," I shrugged, walking into the room.

"This is one of the offices here," he announced, sitting behind a giant glass desk. You could see a lovely view of the coast behind him. "Sit," he ordered, pointing to a chair behind him.

I walked on the somewhat squeaky hardwood floors to sit on a white cotton chair. It was pretty comfortable.

"Yes, Sir?" I asked, smiling. At the moment, I had no clue what he wanted.

"What do you want?" he asked, crossing his ankle up over his knee, leaning back in his chair.

"Excuse me?" I asked, confused. "I don't want…"

"Save it," he waved me off. "You don't get to be where I am by being stupid," he told me. "So…what is it?" he asked, typing something on his computer.

"I have no idea…"

"I'll be the first to admit that I haven't spent much time with my daughter," he sighed, "But she has enough of _my_ DNA inside of her that would prevent her from making a decision so rash as to marry a man she's only known for _four_ months," he said as the machine behind him started to print something out. "It seems…unreal."

"Mr. Swan," I started, "I don't want _anything_ from you," I say sternly. "The only thing I'd like is your blessing to be with your daughter."

To date…not marry.

Not yet, anyway.

"Really?" he raised an eyebrow. "Okay." He leaned back and took a stack of papers from the printer. "Marriage is a beautiful thing, when it's right," he started, "But if this beautiful thing turns ugly," he showed me the stack of papers, "You won't get _shit_ from me or my daughter. Do you understand me?" he seethed. "This is the Fort Knox of pre-nups. If you love Bella and want to be with her forever," he rolled his eyes, "Sign it and forget about it." He went into his drawer and got a pen. "Blue or black ink?"

"Mr. Swan…"

"I'm not known for giving people options in business transactions," he cuts me off. "Sign the papers, Edward." He put the black pen in front of me. "Why are you stalling? Ulterior motives?" he asked.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Bella whispered from the door.

"Bella…" Charlie started.

"You left the door open," she slammed it closed.

"We just need to…"

"I told you that I don't need a pre-nup," she walked to stand beside my chair.

"Then it won't be a big deal if he signs one," he pushed the papers toward me.

"No," she took the papers from me.

"Bella, I'm protecting…"

"What you should be doing is _supporting_ me," she looked him in the eye. "Dad, I told you," she whispered, "I looked you in the eye and I told you…" she said again. "Why would you…"

"You aren't thinking clearly."

"No," she stepped forward, "_You_ aren't thinking clearly. I told you I didn't want one. That should be the end of it."

"I won't sit by…"

"Oh, please, Dad," she laughed sinisterly, "You've been sitting by my entire life. Why should this be any different?"

"This isn't…"

"It shouldn't matter!" she raised her voice. "It's my decision to make. If it turns out to be a mistake, then it's _my_ mistake."

"Do you know how much…?"

"It's not your decision to make," she repeated.

"You can't possibly…"

"I love him," she breathed, looking at me. "Daddy, I love him."

"I understand that…"

"Then why is there a problem?" she asked. "What's wrong with him, Daddy?" she asked. "He's not rich enough for you? His family's legacy and fortune doesn't reach the Charlie stamp of approval?"

"Bella, let me do this," Charlie argued.

"I don't understand why this is so important…" she paused as a familiar sound boomed through the room from the helicopter pad above.

Oh no.

"Bella…"

"Really?" Bella glared. "Really, Charlie?" she growled, saying his name with such disgust at that moment.

"I've had this meeting planned for months…" he started.

"You're going to fly out…in the middle of my engagement party…to go to a _meeting_?" she asked incredulously.

"I've known about it since…"

"Where is it?" Bella asked, her eyes void of emotion.

"It's…"

"WHERE IS IT?" she yelled.

"Miami," he admitted.

She thought for a second before tears started to well in her eyes. "And…your jet gets upgrades this time of year, and all plane tickets are sold out around the holidays. So…you took your boat. Now, the jet is repaired so you're leaving?"

"Bella…"

"I was on your way," she shook her head. "You didn't make a trip to see me. I was on your way. Wasn't I?" she asked her father.

"It's not that…"

"I just happened to fit into your schedule…so you decided to grace me with your presence?" she asked, full of sarcasm.

"Bella…"

"You know what?" she went further, "I'm even willing to bet that the jet was ready before now and the _only_ reason you stayed this long was to try to force Edward to sign that pre-nup," she crossed her arms and sat across from a quiet Charlie in a chair next to me. "I'll take your silence as confirmation," she deadpanned and got up from her chair.

"Bella…"

"What else is there to say?" she sighed, her eyes watering. "You're leaving now, right? Now?" she huffed, "Now…of all the times. Now?" she shook her head. "If you hadn't picked today to visit, you never would've known about anything," she got up out of her chair to walk out.

"Let me explain…"

"No," she shook her head, tears streaming down. "No," she continued walking. "Birthdays, Christmases, graduations...did you know that I almost died once? You didn't even visit me in the hospital or call," she said, referring to the time she'd had a severe allergic reaction to peanuts. "You've missed _every_ important day I've ever had," she accused her father. "So…for you to sit here and do this…" she started, shaking her head. "You know what, Dad? If you don't like Edward…don't come to the wedding," she shrugged her shoulders. "While I'm thinking about it, I should get my nanny to give me away, too."

"Bella…" he whispered getting up.

"No!" she shouted. "At least she acted like she gave a shit. It's not like you were going to make it anyway. You know, I finally figured it out, Dad," she said like she'd just had an epiphany. "I'm not important to you. That's why you've never been there and that's why you'll never be there," she said in a defeated voice. "You can throw as much money and gifts as you want at me, but that's the problem."

"That's not…" he tried again.

"Why else?" she asked. "You're the richest man in the country. What more is there? That _has_ to be it," she whispered. "You _can't_ love me because it wouldn't make sense any other way. Dad…you find reasons to _not_ be here," she said. "It's inevitable. You'll find a reason not to be at my wedding so why bother with the pretense?" she asked. "I've finally figured it out," she whispered to herself as she opened the door.

"Bella…"

"Have a nice life, Charlie," she shook her head and closed the door behind her.

I sat in my chair in silent disbelief over what had just happened. I didn't know what to do or say, but I knew I needed to be with Bella. I left a stunned Charlie in his chair and ran out of the office. I noticed a knocked over vase so I assumed that was the direction she had gone.

"Bella," I called, walking down the hallway. I heard the sound of sniffling and found her in a room sitting alone on a bed with mascara running down her face. "Bella," I whispered, hugging her and sitting so she was in my lap.

"I'm s-sorry," she sniffled. "You can go b-back and I'll c-c…"

"No," I shook my head and dried her tears.

"He's leaving," she whimpered, her head falling on my shoulder as the sound of the helicopter faded away.

"I'm sorry, honey," I hugged her close. "I'm so sorry."

I couldn't believe he had _actually_ left. He'd left her like this, during her engagement party.

"I knew it," she whimpered. "I knew it."

"Shhh," I whispered in her ear, kissing her tear-soaked eyes. "Please don't cry," I begged her.

I had a flashback to when I'd seen her at Starbuck's and how much it hurt me. I couldn't stand seeing her cry.

"My daddy doesn't love me," she started crying harder.

"Yes, he…"

"No, he doesn't!" she shook her head. "He's never there. The one time he's supposed to be happy for me and he just assumes that it's for some selfish reason," she muttered.

"He thinks he's protecting you."

"My engagement party?" she asked. "I know it's not real…but he didn't know that and he planned to leave like it's okay," she sniffled. "He thinks there's no way a man could love me for me," she cried.

"Bella, you're…"

"I'm loveable, right?" she asked me sadly with her big brown eyes looking at me. It broke my heart.

Yes, she was definitely loveable.

"Yes," I kissed her. "You're my Bella," I admitted to her, kissing her tears away.

"Now I'm sitting here…in a dress I can't breathe in…in shoes that make my feet hurt…at a party that we don't even want…forced to talk to people we don't even know," she cried.

"I'm sorry, baby," I hugged her closer and tried to kiss away her pain. "Come here," I told her, taking off my jacket and shirt.

"I don't feel like it…"

"No," I fought a chuckle, "Change into this," I gave her my shirt. "You said that dress made you uncomfortable."

"But we have to go to the party…"

"Fuck the party," I shrugged my shoulders and turned around.

"Oh," she sniffled. "I need help getting out of this," she told me.

"Okay," I walked behind her to loosen her dress.

Not wanting to discount the moment, I turned around while she got dressed.

"I'm finished," she announced.

"Beautiful," I kissed her. She looked so gorgeous in that blue shirt with her hair down.

"I'm sleepy," she rubbed her eyes.

"Then it's time to go to bed," I told her, turning off the lights and getting under the covers with her. The moment she kissed me goodnight and laid her head on my chest, I realized something.

I realized that I was head over heels in love with Bella Swan.

**So…**


	17. Chapter 17

**EMOTIONAL WARFARE**

**I'm baaack! Finals went well. Thanks for all the well wishes. I ended the semester with four A's and one D. Oh, well...D is for Diploma.**

**I don't own Twilight. Obviously. **

**Chapter 17**

**Esme's POV**

_Seven months ago…_

"Edward," I called lowly, walking into his room.

"Huh?" he mumbled, staring out his window.

"Sweetie, you need to eat," I begged, trying not to cry. I took the plate of food from behind my back and put it on the table next to his bed.

"I can't," he whimpered, turning over.

He had been this way for the past two weeks. Ever since that…cunt…broke his heart.

I had never approved Tanya. Even as a child, I could tell she would turn out to be a rotten little shit. I didn't grow to disapprove of her, though, until she ruined Alice's collectible Barbie. I saw her smirk of satisfaction as she reveled in the deeply hurt look on my daughter's face and I instantly knew Tanya had done it on purpose, I just couldn't prove it. So, being an adult, I had to let it go. Since then, I knew she was untrustworthy.

Honestly, I had never liked any of the Denali's. They were status-seeking, self-serving, vain, pretentious assholes. I didn't see how Carlisle could stand Alec…let alone be friends with him. The Alec I had met in college was tolerable, but as soon as he married Heidi, the pair of them became unbearable. Then, they decided to procreate and passed their less-than-desirable character traits on to their daughters.

Some people shouldn't be allowed to breed. I used the term "breed" because those three girls turned out to be nothing more than animals.

Irina was a whore who would fuck anybody, and when I said "anybody," I meant anybody. She didn't discriminate. Tanya was the biggest bitch, second to her mother, to ever disgrace the face of the Earth. Kate, while she knew how to keep her legs closed, was annoying as shit and also a bitch. I didn't know why I'd expected the girls to turn out any different. They were, after all, their mother's daughters. I rolled my eyes, thinking of the first time I'd met Heidi.

_Halloween, 1983…_

"_Jane," I walked out of the bathroom, pointing to my outfit, "I don't think this is…" I struggled for a better word, "Appropriate?" _

"_Pssh," she waved me off, sitting me down, "You look great," she smiled and ran her fingers through my hair. _

"_But…"_

"_It's Halloween," she pointed out. "If you can't dress a little sexy tonight, when can you?" she asked, looking me up and down appraisingly. "For heaven sakes, Esme, your dress hits you at your knees," she giggled. _

"_But you can see my stomach."_

"_What?" she asked, like she was in shock. "Noooooo!" she gasped dramatically as she start to curled my hair. "You're showing a little skin. So what?" she rolled her eyes. "Would your big sister steer you wrong?"_

_This semester, I'd started to pledge the Phi Mu sorority. Jane Ingram volunteered to be my big sister and "'usher me into the sorority life." At first, I thought the other sisters were playing a joke on me, thinking Jane and I didn't have anything in common. Then, I got to know her. She was pretty cool…except for the fact that she had forced me into this short and somewhat see-through white dress for Halloween. _

"_I swear if you…"_

"_Come on," Jane started laughing. "You'll look stunning." She smiled at me reassuringly as I heard the sounds of the party downstairs heating up. _

"_Fine," I huffed as she started putting on my makeup. _

_After much primping and prodding, Jane deemed me "party ready." _

"_Here, don't forget these," she grinned, grabbing a huge pair of wings and strapped them on me. "There," she patted my back, "Now you look heavenly." She winked, opening her door, "Let's party." She waggled her brows when she saw my expression and threaded her arm through mine, pulling me out the door. _

_We walked downstairs and I immediately felt stares. I pulled my dress down, convinced that my underwear was probably showing. _

"_We look soooo good," Jane whispered into my ear. "Your tits look great in that dress," she pointed to my chest. _

"_Hello, ladies," a drunken guy dressed as Batman slurred at Jane, dragging out his words. _

"_Ugh, fuck off, Alec," she shivered and shoved his face away from hers. _

"_I wasn't talking to you," his gaze turned to me. "W-w-w…" he started to slur, spilling alcohol from his cup everywhere. _

"_Oh, my God…" Jane hissed._

"_Al!" I heard a shiver-inducing voice call from across the room. "Come on, man, pace yourself," the guy chuckled at his friend. _

_Then, I saw his face. _

_Wow. _

_Blonde hair…blue eyes…a painfully beautiful nose and chiseled jaw. He was…perfect. _

"_Carlisle!" Jane recognized him and gave him a hug. _

"_Jane," he responded, laughing a little and returning the hug. "How are you doing?" he asked politely. _

"_Not good," Jane's eyes turned to the drunken guy leaning against the wall. "Your friend is quickly ruining our good time."_

"_Sorry," he laughed, and then his gaze locked on me. "He…" he stopped abruptly._

_I didn't know how long we stared at each other, but I wasn't going to move until he did. _

_Say something, you idiot!_

"_I'm…." I started. _

"_Carlisle?" a high-pitched voice called from the door. _

"_Shit," Jane rolled her eyes, "Here comes the shrew," she hissed to the other pledges. _

"_Who is that…?" I started. _

"_Oh! Carlisle," a beautiful girl with strawberry-blonde hair came to where we were standing, "There you are," she smiled. _

_Shit. He had a girlfriend. _

"_Uh…" Carlisle stammered, "Hey, Heidi," he muttered slowly….still staring at me. _

"_Who are you?" the blonde girl sneered, looking me up and down scornfully. _

"_This is my little Esme," Jane introduced me with pride. _

"_Heidi," she deadpanned, staring at me. _

"_Esme," Carlisle breathed, still looking at me. I wanted to hear him say it again. _

"_Oh," Heidi's face lit up in recognition, "You're that girl from Mississippi."_

"_It's Tennessee," I corrected her. _

"_Whatever," she waved me off. "Country is country. If you ask me, they should bulldoze it all and build a mall instead." She grabbed a cup from a tray and started to sip from it. She really was a shrew._

"_Well, I love it," I smiled awkwardly. "I miss it."_

"_Really?" Heidi asked. "You don't find it at all grand to live in the big city?" she asked with a fake Southern accent. _

"_Not all people from the south talk like inbreeds," Jane rolled her eyes. _

"_Just saying," Heidi held her hand up in surrender. "Where in Tennessee, Memphis?"_

"_No," I shook my head, "Nutbush, it's a farming community. I was born and raised there. I lived there with my grandparents."_

"_No!" she giggled, looking dramatically around at everybody. "You were born on a farm? How cute!" she chuckled condescendingly. "You were __**literally**__ born in a barn," she continued. "Tell me something. Do chickens actually run around after you cut off…"_

"_Oops!" Jane smiled, throwing what smelled like vodka into Heidi's face. _

"_Ahh!" Heidi shrieked, covering her eyes. _

"_I'm…" Jane splashed some more from her cup on Heidi, "So…" flinging more, "Sorry," she smiled widely as she slung the last of the alcohol into Heidi's face and down her costume. "Who am I kidding? No, I'm not," she shook her head. _

"_HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Alec started laughing. _

"_You ruined my outfit and my makeup!" Heidi whimpered, wiping smeared makeup from her face. _

"_You looked thirsty," Jane explained. "Run down to the drugstore and buy some more. I'd offer you some of my MAC…but I don't want to," she shrugged her shoulders. _

"_You're such a bitch!" Heidi yelled, running off somewhere. _

"_Well…" Jane started thinking, "Yeah, you're right, I am," she giggled. _

"_Uh…" Carlisle stammered again, still looking at me. I couldn't help it. I giggled. _

After that, Carlisle asked me to dance and I never looked back. Before I knew it, we were married and God had blessed us with three amazing children.

Children I loved. Children I'd die for. Children I'd kill for.

Right now, I wanted to kill Tanya Denali for doing this to my son.

"She's gone, Mommy," my baby boy muttered in a monotone voice. "I lost her."

"No, you didn't," I sat next to him on his bed, "She lost you."

"I wasn't good enough."

"Yes, you were," I hugged him. "She's the one that wasn't good enough," I whispered in his ear. "She'll never find a man as good as you," I promised as I kissed his forehead.

"Then why did she leave me?" he whimpered, looking at me so brokenly.

"She's stupid," I told him, pushing his hair back.

"She'll find somebody better than me…"

"No, she won't," I looked him in his eyes sternly. "She never will, and I feel sorry for her," I shrugged my shoulder.

Fucking bitch. She should rot in Hell for what she's done to my baby.

"Leave me alone, please," he slowly turned around. "I want to be by myself," he whispered, still looking out his window.

"Okay, sweetheart." I kissed his cheek and went downstairs.

I poured myself a glass of wine and fell on the couch. I looked upstairs and couldn't shake the feeling of guilt that washed over me every time I saw the heartbroken look on my son's face.

"Any change?" Carlisle asked, sitting next to me.

"No," I sighed and lay my head on his lap. "He's so sad," I whispered and found my eyes tearing up.

"He's going through his first heartbreak," my husband soothed me, running his fingers through my hair. "I don't want this to upset you…"

"How can I not be upset?" I asked, wiping a stray tear away. "He's my baby. When he hurts, I hurt. It's my fault," I whimpered, looking at him.

"No, it's not," he shook his head.

"Yes, it is," I argued. "I wanted it to happen."

"Not wanting Edward to marry Tanya doesn't mean that you had anything to do with it," Carlisle assured me.

"It's just…" I shrugged.

Out of my children, Edward had always been the most sensitive. His kind heart and gentle nature sometimes got the better of him. In my opinion, his positive outlook might have been why Tanya attached herself to him in the first place. He loved making her happy.

_Tanya let me take her shopping. _

_Do you think Tanya will like this diamond necklace?_

_Tanya wants a diamond Rolex for her birthday._

I didn't know how much money Edward had spent on that harpy throughout their relationship, but he lived to make her happy. The sad thing was I couldn't recall the last time she had said that she loved him…or paid him a compliment…or acted like she cared about him in the least. I didn't think she had ever done any of those things.

_Edward, I want…_

_Edward, I need…_

_Edward, I've gotta have…_

_Let me get…_

_I saw this at a fashion show…_

_Edward…_

_Eddie…_

Bitch.

"He'll be okay," my husband soothed me.

"I just want him to be better. I hate seeing him in so much pain."

"I know. I do, too," he rubbed my back. "He'll snap out of it soon."

"I hope so," I prayed.

But he didn't snap out of it. If anything, he got worse. I didn't feel comfortable with him going back to school. He would have been left to his own devices and I was not sure how I felt about it.

"Mom, I'll be fine," Edward hissed, rolling his eyes yet again as he packed the last of his things into his car.

"Are you sure, honey?" I asked, taking in his frail stature. He had to have lost at least twenty pounds from his already-lean frame because he'd barely eaten all summer. I was nervous about him being by himself. I'd been trying to persuade him to take some time off from school until he got a little better. "It wouldn't hurt if you missed a semester." I look at his eyes. They'd turned dark-ringed and baggy from poor nutrition and lack of sleep.

"I'm a big boy, Mom." He kissed my forehead before getting into the car. "I'll be okay." I was not sure if he was telling me or himself this.

"Okay, sweetheart, call me when you get there." I waved to him as he pulled out of the driveway and tried to keep my tears at bay, at least until he was out of sight.

While he was at school, I called him every day. I searched for a hint of recovery in his voice with each call. I didn't find any. Then, Heidi cornered me at a function and loudly told me that Tanya had gotten another boyfriend. She was so cavalier about it. It wasn't a secret that Edward had been utterly destroyed by how Tanya had dumped him. Yet, Heidi took obvious pleasure in telling me this news. Bitch.

The apple never really fell far from the tree...

Then one day not long ago, I noticed something. A sense of joy began to radiate through the phone in my son's voice. When I asked about his sudden change in mood, he replied that he didn't feel any different. I knew something was up, though. That boy couldn't hide anything from me.

As the days passed, I noticed his voice regaining its vigor. I wondered what could have been the cause of this turnaround. Unfortunately, I found out in a way less than ideal.

"_How is everything going with the luncheon?" I heard Agnes Montgomery ask. Her husband owned the local paper. She was a nice older lady. She was a bit on the nosy side, but she was a good person. _

"_Fine, I guess," I answered, leaning my head back to enjoy the hand and foot message I was currently getting. _

_Oh, Carlisle. How I love you... _

"_Well, I'm sure it'll be fabulous like the others…I trust," she said as the spa technician applied my facial mask and cucumber slices. _

_I enjoyed planning the luncheon. I loved it when those of us who were fortunate could give back to the world. I had become known for it over the past twenty years. However, I had only been the head coordinator for the past five years and having each year turn out better than the last had been a constant battle. _

"_How is your Edward?" she questioned. "I heard the whole Tanya thing has been hard on him." I fought not to roll my eyes. My cucumbers would have fallen off if I had. As far as I was concerned, what happened in my family, stayed in my family. _

"_Agnes," I warned. _

"_If it makes you feel any better," she dropped her voice, "I saw Tanya yesterday. She's as big as a duplex," she gossiped. "Not chunky. Not pudgy. Downright FAT," she whispered in my ear. I smiled. _

_It served her right._

"_He's…"_

"_Hello, ladies," I heard the shrill voice of Heidi in my ear. "Everything's okay. I'm here now." She snapped her fingers, "Hello…servant person," she called, "I need a Mojito," she ordered the girl before I heard her sit down. _

"_Heidi," Agnes greeted her dryly. _

"_Agnes," Heidi trilled. "Oh, Esme," she acted like she had just noticed me, "I didn't know you were here."_

_Liar._

"_Hello, Heidi," I sighed not wanting to engage her. _

"_How's everything going?" she asked. "The luncheon? The annual dinner party? Anniversary?"_

"_Great," I answered shortly. _

"_I hope you don't mind that Riley is coming to all of the functions," she whispered, loud enough for Agnes to hear. I imagined Agnes leaning forward in her chair to try and listen. "I mean, poor Edward…"_

"_He's fine," I cut her off. The last thing I wanted to hear was this bitch going on a tangent. _

"_I hope we all can get along," she droned. "Edward and Riley…Tanya and Becca," her voice tapered off. _

"_Becca?" I asked confused. "Who's Becca?"_

"_Well…Edward's new girlfriend, of course," she announced nonchalantly. _

_What?_

"_What?" I shouted, turning my head so fast the cucumber slices flew off of my eyes. _

_He wouldn't. No way. He wouldn't have gotten a new girlfriend and not told me. _

"_Don't tell me you didn't know," Heidi raised an eyebrow. _

"_I…"_

"_Oh, yes," Heidi interrupted. "Lauren, Tanya's friend, saw them last night," she gloated, pleased she had something juicy to dangle. "Apparently, they were being rather inappropriate in the middle of the street."_

"_You don't know…" Lauren Mallory…or any Mallory for that matter would not be the first person you went to for correct information. "Just because Lauren…"_

"_Oh," she pulled out her phone, smirking evilly, "I think it's true." She showed me a picture on her cell phone. It was definitely Edward. He had some dark-haired girl in his arms. I couldn't see her face because she was turned away from the camera. What I could see was that they were going at it in the middle of the street. Some woman was covering her young daughter's eyes. _

_Oh, God. He had found another whore. _

"_Ooh," Agnes started shaking her head, "He's found himself…a spirited one."_

"_If you say so," Heidi put her phone back in her purse. "In the middle of the street?" she tutted, shuddering. "How…low class," she shook her head disapprovingly. "I know the old saying, 'The best way to get over your first love is to get on top of a new one,' but…really?" She looked at me shaking her head, "Some things just aren't acceptable."_

_I tuned her out after that. I only heard random sayings. _

"_I understand why he didn't tell you…I heard she's not much to look at...She probably shops at Wal-Mart…I saw that tacky outfit she had on…Oh, God, I couldn't imagine if one of my children brought trailer trash home…" _

Normally, I would have gotten up and left, but I couldn't because I was naked under my robe with green shit on my face. As soon as I was able, I got my clothes on and sped home.

I was angry. After all this time of the entire family worrying about him, he didn't have the decency to clue us in on any of this? Most of all, I was hurt. Why didn't he tell me? Did he not think we'd be supportive?

I saw my cell phone blinking on my drive home. It was Alice. So far, I had seven missed calls and two voicemails. I put it on speaker.

**First message: MOM! You won't believe what I heard. Edward has a girlfriend. Irina told me. Apparently, she's a big fat ugly ho! I thought we'd dodged a bullet with that Barbie destroyer and he goes and gets another one! I'm going to kill him. Lexi, Jazz, and I are in en route to get some info from Edward. Bye. **

Trust Alice to put her life on hold to get in her brother's business.

**Second message: It's me. Okay, total false alarm. Her name is Bella. She's super nice. Plus, she hot…like really hot. She makes Tanya look like a troll…but that's not difficult. I think she's a film major or something. I haven't figured it out yet. She's fabulous, a real class act. I approve. I plan on inviting her to dinner to get to know her better. I'll talk to you tomorrow. **

I found myself laughing as I pulled into the driveway.

Upon hearing that this Bella was coming home with Edward for the Christmas/New Year's holiday, I found myself a little nervous. Was she a good match for him? Would she like us? We were a strong family. I hoped she felt comfortable.

I spent the next day obsessing about this new development. I didn't know why, but I was definitely nervous.

Then, I saw her…standing in the living room looking scared as Hell. She had her hard-ass pose in place, but I knew she was nervous. Within twenty minutes of meeting her, I discovered her intelligence, wit, and respectfulness. I liked her a lot.

Then, Heidi and Tanya showed up.

It was obvious that Tanya came only to somehow size Bella up. I didn't know why. It all seemed very childish to me. I was a little scared for Bella when Heidi first introduced herself. Heidi could be a real vulture. I didn't want Bella's impression of the family to be that we were like the Denali's. Everything was about money and status to those people. It took all I had not to laugh when Bella wouldn't tell Heidi who her parents were. It was obvious Heidi was trying to gain information she felt she could use against her. As I watched the exchange, I found myself impressed with how Bella answered and yet evaded all of Heidi's questions. Then, Bella smirked at her as a way of saying, "I know what you're doing and I'm not telling you anything." It was at that moment I decided that I loved her.

Edward kept staring at Bella the whole time. He was really smitten with her. I couldn't hide my smile at the sight of the two of them together. One time, she caught his gaze and lingered there. I looked away, fearing that I was intruding, but I saw it.

Love.

As I was getting ready for bed, Carlisle approached the subject.

"So?" he raised an eyebrow at me. "What are your thoughts?"

"I like her," I smiled, getting under the covers, "A lot."

"Me, too," he nodded, getting in with me. "She's different…spunky. She's good for him."

"He loves her," I snuggled up to my husband. "I can tell."

"Yeah," he rested his chin on my head. "She's lovely."

"Did you see how he looked at her?" I asked grinning. It reminded me a little of how Carlisle and I looked at each other.

I was happy for him.

"Nana!" I heard my granddaughter shout before her tiny body landed on mine. "Wake up!"

"It's Christmas, PopPop!" Megan started shaking Carlisle.

"You have to wake up or we can't open presents," Lexi tried to pry open my eyelids.

"Grrrrrrrr," I heard my husband mumble.

"Okay," I took the girls' hands off my face. "We're up. Go wake Uncle Edward," I threw my son under the bus.

Sorry, Edward.

I spent Christmas day with my family, being thankful for all God had blessed me with. It had been a trying year for my family, but we'd come out okay. I sat on the couch and enjoyed the look on my family's faces as they opened their presents. It truly was better to give than receive. The necklace Carlisle gave me was pretty nice, though.

I glanced over at Bella and picked up on how sad she looked. She was not including herself in any of the pictures and just stood in the corner of the room taking photos. It was almost like she didn't know how to function in a family setting. Halfway through, she ran out of the room. I contemplated walking after her, but I didn't want to overstep my boundaries. We'd only known each other for a day. I was not sure how she would have taken it. I remembered she had mentioned that her parents were divorced. By the inflection in her voice, it must have been a bitter ending. I wondered what the holidays were normally like for her and her family.

I snapped out of my thoughts just to see Edward walking back into the room holding Bella's hand in his. Her eyes were swollen. She'd been crying and I wondered why. I noticed my son rubbing her hand and looking into her eyes as if he were saying, "It's okay." What was wrong?

He attempted to lighten her mood with a beautiful and most likely expensive bracelet. She was pissed. It wasn't an "I'm pretending to be mad so I don't look like a gold-digger" look. She looked like she wanted to punch him in the face. She was legitimately mad at him. She was more impressed with that forty-five dollar light saber than a ten-thousand-dollar bracelet.

She liked Star Wars. She'd even bought Edward one of the light sabers. Apparently, they were in this constant disagreement over who was superior between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. It was cute.

She understood him.

The next couple of days, I analyzed the pair. It was almost as if they could share thoughts or something. They were always staring at each other, whether he was looking at her when she didn't know it or vice versa. I smiled. He'd never done that with Tanya.

I was excited to introduce Bella to the ladies at the luncheon. Of course, the hats were a little ridiculous, but it was tradition. I remembered the first time I set foot in a luncheon almost thirty years ago. I laughed so hard I snorted. Carlisle's mother never got over it.

She didn't like me very much.

Bitch.

Anyway, everyone with the exception of the Denali's loved Bella. I knew they would. I didn't know what it was about that girl, but she made it virtually impossible not to like her.

"Esme, honey," Agnes tapped my shoulder before she sat down, "I think I saw Edward's Becca…"

"It's Bella," Alice, Rose, and I corrected.

"Oh, well, I saw her outside," she smiled. "She's gorgeous. They'll make adorable little grandbabies for you," she winked. At least I thought it was a wink. It could have been a twitch. Old people did that sometimes.

"Pssh," Heidi rolled her eyes, "I don't know about you all, but I definitely don't see that relationship going anywhere," she laughed haughtily along with here insipid daughter, both of them taking sips of their drinks.

"I like her," Megan smiled, eating a cookie.

"Me, too," Lexi approved, both girls shooting scathing glares at Tanya.

It was the Cullen gene. Even the kids knew Heidi and Tanya were being bitches and tried to have Bella's back.

"Ah," Heidi leaned her head back, "The ignorance of children."

"Shush," Agnes rebuked Heidi. "By how you described her, I expected to see a Daisy-duke-wearing Hillbilly covered in spots and missing her two front teeth."

"She entered a well-renowned film competition and got first place," I bragged. I knew Bella wouldn't approve, but…oh, well. "She won't mention it, but she's really smart. She's well-rounded and well-spoken, too."

"Just because…" Heidi started.

"No one values your opinion," I heard the unmistakable voice of Jane Ingram come in before sitting at our table.

"Jane," Heidi deadpanned.

"Esme, sweetie," Jane blew me a kiss, ignoring Heidi.

I missed Jane. She lived in England with her younger boyfriend. We had been friends for God only knew how long. She was so…unhinged. She had no shame and I loved that about her. Even though her shitfaced son had tormented Edward in high school, we were still pretty good friends. I blamed James' behavior on her first husband, anyway. But the main reason why I adored Jane?

She was a Heidi repellent.

Really. I had no clue why…but those two were like oil and water. Apparently, they'd hated each other since high school. No one knew why. Jane was the only person on the planet who could make Heidi shut her bitch mouth.

I loved her.

Before the two women could instigate World War III, Bella and her friend, Victoria, showed up and eased the tension. I looked at the six of us and noticed that those three acted just like Jane, Heidi, and me, except that Jane and Victoria might have been a little bit sluttier.

Everything went smoothly until Jane mentioned Bella's parents. She did it in passing, but I caught it. Judging by the way Heidi's botoxed eyebrows shot up, or at least _tried_ to, she had noticed, too. Heidi's attempt to pry was almost as obvious as Victoria spilling her drink on Jane's dress to keep her from talking.

It was no secret that Bella felt uncomfortable telling who her parents were. I chalked it up to her being nervous about being around people who were wealthy. I remembered when I'd first met Carlisle's family. I couldn't sit still I was shaking so badly. I was nothing but a simple farm girl from Tennessee. How would I fit in?

I approached her and said a short speech about making this life fit your style. She just seemed so…distant from everything. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable so I left. I started to feel a little guilty. She'd been thrust into this high-society life with little to no warning. I promise myself to make her feel more included. The lingerie trip would make a nice start.

"Wow," Jane snorted, coming up to me. "Edward _sure_ did it this time," she shook her head.

"Huh?" I sighed, looking at my friend. It was impossible to make sense out of anything she said when she was drunk.

"She's so pretty," she wiped sweat from her forehead, pointing to Bella. "She gets it from her daddy," she started fanning herself and giggling.

"Jane…"

"I thought I recognized her from somewhere," she leaned on the wall, looking at Bella. "She looks so much prettier with hair," she said, tilting her head to the side.

What?

"You think _Heidi_ is a bitch?" she started giggling uncontrollably. "You should meet her mother."

"Jane…" I hissed, trying to quiet her down. She was obviously hammered and rambling.

"Edward should play the lottery," she chuckled as I led her to the table.

I laughed at my friend's babbling and went back to the party.

The event went smoothly. I found myself beaming with pride as Bella played the violin. I knew it was a mean thing to admit, but my soul cheered as I looked at Tanya and Heidi's shocked faces as they witnessed Bella's skill at the violin. I laughed on the inside. Jane laughed on the outside…and pointed at Tanya.

The look paled in comparison to how Edward gazed at Bella in wonder as the room cleared. He looked at her in amazement. It seemed like it was the first time he'd ever heard her play. I smiled at them. He was grinning like he didn't care who saw him. He was grinning like he was in love.

Our lingerie outing was a bit uneventful. I had to admit my son was a very lucky man. Bella looked stunning in that lingerie.

"Where's Edward?" I asked, taking out plates for dinner.

"He's probably somewhere getting laid," Emmett chuckled.

"Emmett!" Carlisle admonished. Our son could be so crass sometimes.

"What?" he asked, eating a breadstick. "You guys haven't noticed that those two are always in Edward's room?" he waggled his eyebrows and Carlisle tried not to laugh.

"Did you see him this morning?" Jasper grinned. "He looked so happy when he came downstairs for breakfast," he started laughing.

"I'm telling you," Emmett took a break from eating, "Bella has to give great…"

"Emmett!" I smacked his head, "Don't talk like that about your brother's girlfriend. It's disgusting," I pinched his ear.

"You know you think about how cute your grandkids will be," Carlisle teased me.

Well…

"What mother doesn't think of that?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

What? Was it awkward that I wanted my son to be sexually satisfied?

"You weren't when he was dating Tanya," Emmett pointed out.

"Damn right I wasn't," I hissed.

I shuddered. Whenever she came over, I always made them leave the door open or stay downstairs where I could see them. Only over my dead body would Tanya have given birth to my conceited, bitchy grandchildren.

Oh, Lord…

"If he doesn't marry Bella, he's crazy. She's awesome," Emmett licked his fingers before going upstairs to get the others.

During dinner, the two looked at each other with a new sense of…something. I glanced at Edward to see that he was grinning like a fool. He did that when he knew a secret.

Yeah. They were having sex upstairs.

"Mom," Alice gushed after Edward went looking for Bella, "They're so cute together!"

"Yeah, they are," I sighed, taking a bite of food.

"He's gonna marry her," she boasted, sipping her soda.

"Really?" Megan asked beaming.

"Yay!" Lexi clapped her hands. She was definitely her mother's child.

"Alice…" I started.

"She's been saying that since we went out to dinner last week," Jasper said wiping Lexi's mouth.

"Because it's true," Alice crossed her arms.

"I hope so," Lexi smiled. "Do you think she'll let me keep Snooki?" she asked, picking the dog up and petting its head.

"She should," Rose shrugged her shoulders. "Bella is fucking…"

"Language!" I scolded.

"Sorry," she apologized. "You know what I mean," she waved it off.

"Where are they?" Alice got up from the table.

"Has anyone noticed how fat Tanya's gotten?" Rose giggled. Megan nodded her head and started to giggle.

"You'd think with all that money they'd invest in some Weight Watchers," she added.

"Rose…" I started.

"What?"

"It serves her right," Emmett jumped in. "I still can't believe what she did to Edward. I mean, I'm glad he didn't marry that bitch, but…"

"Emmett!"

"You know…"

"Mommy! Daddy!" Alice shouted. "Everybody!" she screamed.

"What is it, Alice?"

"What's wrong?" I asked nervously and ran to my bedroom.

"Look!" my daughter yelled, holding up Bella's hand…with my grandmother's engagement ring on her finger.

I couldn't believe it.

I found myself speechless. The Edward I'd witnessed prior to this was quiet and closed off. To be completely honest, the reason why I didn't want him to go to school alone was because I had feared he'd kill himself. Since he'd been home, he'd been…more. He smiled more. He laughed more. He joked more. He was still my Edward, just happier. Maybe he didn't see it, but I did. I credited this amazing girl with this development.

As the family gathered around the couple and congratulated them, I sat back and studied them. The two seemed a little…something. I didn't know what, but it was different. I figured it was shock. I mean, we did stampede them within twenty seconds of Edward popping the question.

Finally, the tears I'd been trying so hard to keep at bay spilled forward. I was just so damn happy. I remembered praying for God to help Edward heal and now he was engaged to a simply astounding woman. I couldn't contain myself. I even called Agnes and told her. She had liked Bella so much that she agreed to put an announcement in the paper for the next day.

I had to thank this amazing girl who had saved my boy. Afterwards, I felt a little guilty once I looked at her face. Now that I thought of it, she was probably overwhelmed. However, there was a moment of terror on her face before she said, "I'm so happy."

Was she getting cold feet already?

"You're overreacting," Carlisle nodded his head.

"She just had this look on her face and it was like…Oh, shit!" I told him. "You don't think she…?"

"No," he kissed my forehead, "She loves that boy," he smiled, wrapping his arms around me.

"I don't want to see him hurt," I confided, "Not again."

"It'll be fine," my husband soothed me.

"Okay," I lied somewhat and kissed him.

I spent the majority of the night tossing and turning. I couldn't help but fear that something was going to go wrong. The next morning didn't soothe my worries. I thought Bella was going to cry when I showed her the engagement announcement. What had happened? She was acting so lovely until the engagement. Now, it was like she was shitting bricks whenever someone mentioned it. I wondered why there had been a one-eighty.

Then, I met her parents.

Unless you had lived under a rock, you knew who Renee Dwyer and Charlie were. Apart from their obvious success, their very public divorce and subsequent custody battle was that of legend. Last I'd heard, it was one of the largest divorce settlements in history. I'd be lying if I said I was stunned at first by their presence.

Then, they opened their mouths.

You would think people who were so smart and so wealthy would know when to shut up. They acted like toddlers. Not children, toddlers, always having to have the last word.

As Bella's parents followed Carlisle and me for a tour of the house, my husband and I shared a look. Oh, shit...

"Antique patio furniture," Renee noticed, running her finger over the arm of the chair. She checked her finger afterwards. Was she checking for dust?

"Yeah," Carlisle smiled, "Esme's great-grandfather hand-carved it."

"Humph," she huffed, walking on. "Cute, I guess. It's a bit too rustic for the motif of the rest of the house, though."

"That was offensive," Charlie quipped nonchalantly. "I'd apologize for her, but she's not my problem anymore," he smiled at that thought.

It continued like this for the duration of the tour. One of them would speak and then the other would make some asinine remark. Part of me wanted to scream, "It happened eighteen years ago. Get over it!"

Luckily, we made it back to the house without anyone getting murdered. My shock at their behavior was surpassed by my disgust at how they treated their daughter. Charlie assumed that throwing money at problems made them go away, while Renee was rude, sharply critical, and hurtful. She didn't say one kind thing to Bella the entire time of breakfast. The weird thing was that Bella just…took it. All the time I'd known her, even though brief, she'd been spunky. I'd lost count of how many verbal throw-downs she'd had with Heidi and Tanya. But, in the presence of her parents, she just shut down.

However, I had to admit that I wanted to high-five Renee after she verbally dismissed the Denali's. I guessed I'd finally found someone who was a bigger bitch than Heidi.

"Well…" Renee interrupted a long silence after Edward started screaming and Bella flew after him, "Turns out those two are made for each other. Bella is always throwing a hissy fit."

"The fact that you're trying to plan their wedding without their input had _nothing_ to do with it," Charlie rolled his eyes.

"Don't you have something to do?" Renee countered.

"You're…"

"Well," I interrupted, tired of hearing them argue, "I need to start finalizing the details for that party Heidi was talking about," I tried to excuse myself and started getting up.

"What party?"

"It's a dinner where all the families in town get together and socialize…"

"Yes!" Renee' whipped out her cell phone. "This is perfect," she started making a call.

"Excuse me?"

"We should turn this into a party for Edward and Bella…for the engagement," she nodded. "Don't worry about Bella's friends not being there. Besides Victoria, she doesn't have any."

"It's a little last minute…" I tried to argue.

"This whole thing was very last minute," Renee interrupted. "I mean, she thrusts this engagement on me with no time to prepare. I don't know when I'll be available otherwise."

"Available for what?"

"The engagement party…the bridal shower…the wedding?" she listed on her fingers. "At this point, I'm completely booked until a little before Thanksgiving of next year," she said rolling her eyes.

"You wouldn't take off?" Charlie asked.

"Would you?" she rebutted laughing. "The world won't stop spinning just because those two got engaged."

"Umm…" Victoria raised her hand, "I'm not sure if Bella and Edward would appreciate…"

"Hush!" Renee' snapped at Victoria. "The only reason I was able to come today is because this month's issue was shit and I sent it back. And who knows when the next time _he'll_ be free will happen," she pointed to Charlie. "Tell me I'm wrong and I'll stop, Charlie," she hung up the phone and crossed her arms, daring him to argue.

Would I have been wrong if I ventured to guess that Bella probably wouldn't want them to come, anyway?

I sat numb out of sheer shock. These people were Bella's parents. How did she turn out so well? Renee' was actually trying to plan their…

"Good," she did something with her phone.

"Renee…" Carlisle and I spoke.

"What?" she rolled her eyes.

"Are you sure this is…"

"Of course it is," she waved us off. "I've emailed a fabulous journalist to do an article for next month's issue," she beamed.

"An article?" I asked wide-eyed.

"That's a bit extreme," Carlisle frowned.

"And putting an announcement in the paper isn't?" she asked, referring to the newspaper article that had been published earlier today.

I sat there in shock. Was she comparing the two of us? I just wanted our friends and families to know. They'd known Edward since he was a baby. I thought it was an acceptable avenue. I wasn't trying to put their relationship on display in a national publication.

"I've notified the necessary people," Renee' got up. "We'll host it on Charlie's yacht. It's fabulous. I want to talk to your caterers and see what they have planned," she stated firmly. "I assume you know where the marina is," she finished over her shoulder before exiting the room.

"She's quite the bitch, isn't she?" Charlie observed, pouring himself a full glass of scotch. It was only two o'clock in the afternoon. "I have to call my lawyer," he added, leaving the room.

"Oh, God," Carlisle whispered.

"They're so horrible," I deadpanned.

"Edward is marrying into _that_," he groaned, shaking his head.

"He's marrying Bella," I reminded, "Not her family."

"Still…" he sighed, running his finger through his hair. "Damn."

"I know, I know," I rested my head on his shoulder.

When Edward and Bella got back from their trip to wherever, I made it seem like it had been a dual decision to host their party. I figured if Bella believed that everyone thought it was a good idea, it wouldn't be a big deal. I felt bad for lying to her, but I thought it was for the best. With any luck, her horrible parents would be gone by tomorrow morning.

It took some tweaking, but the party turned out well. It was a larger turnout than usual. I assumed it had something to do with the surprise guests. Heidi must have told someone. Maybe I was naïve, but I'd figured since Renee' had gotten what she wanted that she'd enjoy the party.

"Mark your calendars for the second Saturday of next November because that's when our lovebirds will be tying the knot!" Renee announced.

"What?" I asked, dumbfounded yet again by this woman's nerve.

Did she really just set a date for Edward and Bella's wedding without their input? Sending out an engagement announcement in the paper was one thing? But…setting their wedding date without them? That was something totally different, and unacceptable.

I saw Bella's face redden with anger and sadness and I wanted to throw that bitch Renee' overboard myself.

I didn't, though…because I was a lady.

Edward made an escape, leaving Bella to fend for herself with my friends. The ladies were nice, once you got to know them. However, I noticed most of the conversation revolved around her parents.

_What's it like having Charlie for a father?_

_It must be amazing, having all those fabulous clothes._

_What's fashion week like?_

_How does it feel to be worth all that money?_

Being the lady she was, Bella answered their questions diplomatically. It was almost as if her answers were automated. Her smile looked forced and she looked uncomfortable. I could tell she was getting pissed off. She started to look around, most likely looking for Edward. She needed reinforcements. I saw her stuff another one of what had to be probably forty business cards she'd been given into her purse. Around that time, I saw Tanya creeping out of one of the cabins.

Heidi came up to her and started talking. I hated being nosy, but I couldn't help but watch. The two started arguing and Heidi was flailing her arms around while Tanya crossed hers in anger. Not only was Tanya's dress extremely low-cut, it was extremely tight, and not in an, "I'm accentuating my curves," way, but in a, "This dress might rip along the seams," way. She needed to buy new clothes in a bigger size. God knows that girl lived at the mall. I didn't know why she couldn't get her skanky clothes in the next two sizes up.

What were they arguing about?

"You know what?" Bella smiled, looking at her watch, "Edward is still missing. I should go find him. This place is pretty big," she pointed out. "Excuse me," she apologized and stepped away from the crowd to go find Edward.

I knew they weren't coming back.

"Oh my," Vivian Ward gushed, "This is amazing!"

"Thank you," I nodded, looking over her shoulder to see that Tanya and Heidi were still arguing.

"Edward has turned into quite a good looking young man of late," she blushed.

I had noticed that Edward came back home with a different style. It was a little funny to be honest. He'd never been into clothes and things like that. To be honest, he seemed like it was all new to him.

"He's always been handsome," I smiled.

"Yeah, but…"

"Think of all that money," Tara Gates whispered to me. "He'll never have to do anything…ever."

"Edward's not like that and neither are we," I snapped. I looked up to see Heidi snatch a drink from one of the trays and storm off, leaving a fuming Tanya alone.

Hmm…

"That Charlie is a mighty fine looking man," Jane drawled and blushed, fanning herself.

"Can you believe he's only in his early forties?" Vivian asked. "Good genes," she pointed to me.

"You can only _imagine_ what Tanya is thinking looking at all of this," Tara smirked, motioning to Tanya stewing by herself on a couch.

"I mean…she's walked around for _years_ thinking she's hot shit," Agnes giggled. "Then, the guy she dumped shows up engaged to the amazing and talented daughter of the sexiest and richest man alive less than a year later," she shook her head.

"Plus," Jane looked around and stepped closer, "You can't deny that Bella is way prettier than she is."

"And she's so well-mannered."

"Your Edward is a lucky boy," Agnes smiled.

"I told you," Jane sipped her drink, "Edward should play the lottery."

"Have you ladies seen Victoria?" Jane's son, James, asked. I didn't know what was going on with those two. You would have thought that the girl running in the other direction every time she saw him would have given the guy a hint. Then again, he was not too bright.

"No," we all said and he went off in search of Victoria.

"Charlie!" Tara yelled, and then she blushed in embarrassment.

"Hello, ladies," Charlie shook everyone's hands. "How is everything? I trust you're enjoying yourselves?"

"Yes, we are," Agnes smiled sinisterly, looking Charlie up and down.

She was way too old for that shit.

"You have a lovely daughter," Tara complimented.

"Yes, very beautiful," Vivian smiled. "I didn't know she modeled."

"She fought me tooth and nail on it," Renee entered the conversation. "You'd think she would've been honored that the people from Ralph Lauren even asked her," she rolled her eyes, sipping her champagne despite her pregnant state, "Considering…"

"Considering what?"

"I mean," she huffed, "She wasn't exactly the _prettiest_ little girl growing up. God knows I tried," she sighed dramatically, shocking everyone listening. "She was a chunky thing, over ten pounds at birth…a certified butterball. You have _no_ idea the kind of work I had to have done to get rid of _those_ stretch marks," she patted her stomach. "Then, there's her hair."

This woman…I didn't understand how she could talk so ill of her own child in front of all these people.

"Her hair?" I asked. "What's wrong with her hair?" Bella had beautiful chestnut brown hair.

"Nothing," she said, "Not now, anyway." Her face contorted as if she was reliving a bad memory. "There was an accident when Bella was…six? Eight? Five. Definitely five," she decided. "There was a…mishap with some hair dye. I admit a little more research could've been done, but what could you do?" she asked shrugging. "Anyway, her hair grew back...eventually."

"It all fell out?" we all asked, afraid to hear the answer.

"Oh, yeah," she nodded. "Although, it grew back a weird reddish-brown color. It was jet black before. Actually, I like the reddish-brown better," she grinned slightly. "Hmm…"

"Oh, my, what a horrible thing to happen to such a little girl," I deadpanned out of disgust. "I'm amazed."

"Shit happens," Renee' shrugged.

It was amazing that Bella had grown up around these people and she still ended up halfway normal. It was a miracle she was not a serial killer, or severely mental.

"Esme," Victoria tapped my arm, looking over her shoulder. She was probably looking for James. "Have you seen Bella? She left like an hour ago."

"Oh, wow," I looked at my watch. "Well, it's a very large yacht. I'm sure they'll turn up…"

All conversation ceased at the sound of an approaching helicopter. I watched it land on the top deck of the yacht.

"What's that?"

"Shit!" Victoria hissed and her eyes started to water. "Where's Charlie?" she looked around.

"I don't see him."

"He's about to make a run for it," she snapped, taking out her cell phone. "I've got to call Bella," she sighed and headed for one of the cabins.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "It's his daughter's party."

"You don't know Charlie very well," Victoria sighed again. "I'm surprised he's stayed this long."

"He wouldn't," I denied. I refused to believe a father would leave his only daughter's engagement party.

"He would," Victoria nodded. "Bella, it's Vic, I heard Charlie's helicopter. I know you're upset. Call me back…please," she left the message and hung up. "Shit."

"Do you know where they might be?" I asked, taking my phone from my purse.

"God only knows," she replied, shaking her head and taking a map from her purse.

"I can't believe this," I grabbed a map as well.

"Esme, I hate to break it to you, but Bella has the shittiest parents known to man. Her mother's a bitch and her father has never been there." She started walking down the hall and I followed. "The longest conversation they've ever had only lasted like five minutes."

Bella had mentioned that she didn't have a good relationship with her parents. I didn't know it was this bad.

"She must be devastated." I called Edward's cell and got no answer.

"Maybe we should try near the helicopter pad," she suggested. "He might've said goodbye."

"Good idea."

On our way to the helicopter pad, I saw a flower arrangement on the floor and a table flipped over.

"Bella was here," Victoria stated, pointing to the mess.

"There," I pointed to a room that had the lights out. "All of the other rooms have the lights on. Maybe they're in there," I hoped.

We walked to the door and I heard the faint sound of crying and my heart broke. Poor girl. What father did that?

Hesitantly, I knocked on the door.

"Bella? Edward?" I asked softly.

I heard commotion on the other side of the door before my son slowly crept the door open.

"Yeah?" he whispered. I looked behind him to see my daughter curled into a ball. She looked so…tiny.

"How is she?" I asked.

"Her dad just ran out on her engagement party, after he tried to force me to sign a pre-nup," he deadpanned. "How do you think?"

"What?" I questioned confused.

"Long story," he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Can I come inside?" I asked.

"I'm not sure…"

"It's okay," I heard Bella's small voice through the dark.

"Are you sure?" Edward asked her.

"Yeah," she breathed.

"Sweetie?" I asked, slowly walking to her side of the bed. Her clothes were on the floor and she was wearing Edward's shirt.

"Hmmm?" she moaned, turning over.

"Bella," Victoria whimpered, "I'm so sorry."

"You're sorry. Edward is sorry. Charlie is sorry. _Everyone_ is sorry," she mumbled. "I'm the one that should be sorry. He always does this and I still hold out hope that one day he'll give a shit," she paused, "But he never will."

"Maybe he'll come back," I ran my hand through her hair.

"Yeah…no," she let out a depressed chuckle, shaking her head, "Not a chance in Hell."

"He's missing out on a great daughter," I kissed her temple.

"My parents don't love me," she turned over to look at me with tears in her eyes.

"Don't say that, baby," Edward hugged her from behind. "It's impossible not to love you."

"Then why has my father never been there for me?" she asked. "Better yet, why are _you_ here while my own mother is still outside playing up to the guests?" she added, looking at me.

I had no answer for her. The only emotion I felt was rage. I was mad at Charlie for leaving and ruining Bella and Edward's night. I was mad at Renee' for being a self-absorbed bitch, but worst of all, I was mad at myself for not putting my foot down. I shouldn't have let Renee' coerce me into having this party in the first place.

"See?" she said. "The proof is in the pudding. Now, I'm at a party I didn't want in the first place…filled with people I don't know…trying to satisfy people who'll never give a shit," she wiped her tears.

"You didn't want it?" I asked.

"No," Edward shook his head. "We didn't want any of it."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"We didn't want to hurt your feelings. You were so proud," she smiled sadly at me. "I guess I didn't want to disappoint you. You're kind of the only real mother figure I know," she laughed bitterly.

"I may not have birthed you, but you're my daughter," I brushed her hair out of her face. "You're my family now, too."

"You and Carlisle dropped everything you were doing to be with your family," she started crying. "I can't even occupy eight hours of my parents' time."

"That's their loss…not yours," Edward kissed her hair. "Bella, you're perfect," he squeezed her tighter.

"But..."

"Please don't cry," he begged her, whispering in her ear.

I looked at how they were holding each other. It was as if Edward was her lifeline and he wanted to keep her safe. I instantly knew I was an intruder.

"We'll go home," I said getting up.

"But the party isn't over."

"It's your party," I reminded her. "We're going home."

"My mother…"

"Will have to deal with it," I told her. "Go to sleep, angels. I'll wake you when we get home," I told them.

"Thank you," she sniffled, snuggling into Edward's chest.

She needed him just as much as he needed her. I left them alone, knowing that no matter what happened, Bella would always be my daughter.

**I hope you all liked it. It was hard putting this out. I was out of practice. **


	18. Chapter 18

**EMOTIONAL WARFARE**

**Happy New Year!**

**I own nothing. Dollybigmomma makes nothing something pretty awesome. **

**Chapter 18**

**EPOV**

I covered my eyes as the blinding light woke me up from my sleep. I looked over to see Bella still sleeping next to me. After my mom had visited us, she'd gotten the yacht turned around as promised. You could imagine what kind of assumptions the guests made. Once we docked, I'd carried a sleeping Bella to the car. Emmett and Jasper fought over who would get to drive the Bugatti home while I sat in the back with Bella.

I loved her.

Bella didn't say anything after mom had left. Aside from the occasional sniffle or hiccup before she went to sleep, I didn't hear her say anything. She didn't even mumble in her sleep like she did sometimes. I'd never wanted to kill someone before last night. How could Bella's parents not see how precious she was?

She let me get her ready for bed then scooted back over to me to rest her head on my chest. Not being able to be near her and not touch her, I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her forehead.

I loved her.

I loved her hair.

I loved her snarky demeanor.

I loved how her nose wiggled when she slept.

Her breasts weren't half bad, either.

"Mmm," she sighed, snuggling into me for the rest of the night.

We were still wrapped around each other this morning, at least until nature called. I eased out of her embrace and quickly used the bathroom. While I was washing my hands, I heard something in the hallway. I walked out and saw Victoria dancing to a song playing on her iPod.

"Oh!" she jumped, taking the ear buds out of her ear. "I didn't see you."

"Hey," I waved awkwardly.

"I'm practicing the choreography for the karaoke competition," she informed, putting one ear bud back in.

"I thought you weren't in it," I said confused.

I remembered Victoria's obvious anger and disappointment over being excluded from the other girls' act.

"That doesn't mean I can't help," she waved it off. "I promoted myself to choreographer. It's the least they can do," she said bitterly before doing a jump-and-spin thingy. "I did ballet," she smiled.

"Okay," I started walking back to the room.

"Thanks," she called to me. "Thanks for helping Bella out last night," she whispered. "Normally, I'm the one that has to pick up the pieces when Charlie disappoints her," she looked away sadly. "You're different with her. You center her. I don't know how, but you do," she smiled at me. "I'm glad she has someone else to depend on. So, thank you," she finished.

"You're welcome," I replied, hearing the shower in my room turn on. "Bella must be up."

"Must be," Vic put the other earphone in her ear and continued dancing.

I went through my things to find something to wear. I was at a complete loss, so I chose a white hoodie and khakis. I stared at the bathroom door, waiting for Bella to come out. I imagined she was still upset. I knew I would have been. Hopefully, everyone planned to take it easy today. It was probably not a good idea for everyone to go around being hectic after what had happened last night. I thought back to the look I had seen on her face and my heart instantly ached. I'd never seen her look so low. I thought that night I'd seen her at Starbucks was the worst I'd ever seen her. I'd been wrong. Yesterday had been a million times worse.

I didn't like it.

Did this happen after every time her parents visited her?

Unfortunately, Bella was right that night so long ago. She really was lonely. It was sad to think there were people out there who didn't have parents they could count on. I was lucky enough to have parents that cared. Even though my father was the CEO of a major corporation, I never felt like he didn't care. He always made time for me.

I was here now. I hoped Bella knew that.

I hoped to be for a long time.

I wanted to protect her from being hurt like that again.

I knew we were lying right now, but I couldn't help but have a little hope that this wouldn't be a lie forever.

Isabella Cullen.

Hmmm…

"Hey, lover," Bella chirped, exiting the bathroom.

"Hello, love," I greeted back. She had on a blue, orange, and yellow shirt with blue jeans that hugged every one of her curves perfectly. She was wearing a scarf around part of her head that matched the shirt. "You look nice," I complimented.

"Thank you," she blushed, crawling over the bed to give me a kiss. "That's very nice of you to say," she kissed me again.

"You're welcome," I smiled, kissing her forehead.

"I don't know if I ever thanked you properly," she said cavalierly, getting off the bed. "So…thank you, for the whole…thing yesterday," she waved her hand. "It meant a lot," she finished in her monotone voice as she went through her jewelry box.

"It's okay," I got out of the bed. She had her back turned. I snaked my arms around to hug her. "I'm here. You know that, right?" I whispered in her ear.

"Yeah," she smiled, using the same cavalier monotone she had been using since coming out of the bathroom. "What's wrong?" she asked giggling. "You look all confused."

"Nothing," I stepped back to look at her.

"If you say so," she shrugged, putting on a lengthy gold necklace and wrapped it around her neck. "I'll be downstairs," she kissed my nose and left the cabin.

Hmmm…

I grabbed my towel and went to shower. There was clearly something wrong with Bella. Her monotone answers were all the proof I needed. She hadn't said one sarcastic remark all morning. I missed it. Not to mention she would have badgered me until I told her what was bothering me before she left to go downstairs. I was not sure what to make of that nose kiss she gave me.

She kissed my _nose_.

I followed Bella downstairs to the smell of breakfast.

"Well, don't you look nice," she smiled, flipping over bacon and sausage.

"You're…cooking," I noticed.

She cooked?

Figured.

I'd never seen her cook before.

"I sure am," she smiled, whipping something in a bowl. "I'm making powdered French toast with strawberry or blueberry topping, sausage, and bacon," she squeezed a lemon into the bowl.

"You don't have…"

"I feel like I do." She dunked some bread in the French toast batter then flopped it onto the griddle. "Your mom is always making breakfast. I'd just like to thank her for…being her." She started cutting oranges in half, rather vigorously I might add. "Fresh-squeezed orange juice," she smiled.

She was acting weird.

"Uh…we already have orange juice," I told her awkwardly.

"Well…" she paused, staring at me, "Fresh-squeezed tastes better." She put the orange half in the squeezer rather roughly. "Don't let anyone tell you different."

Oh, God.

"Bella," I put my hand over hers. "Are you okay? I know…"

"Yeah," she chuckled, taking her hand from mine to flip the French toast. "Why wouldn't I be?" she asked like she was confused.

"The whole thing with your parents…"

"What's this?" mom asked entering the kitchen. The rest of the family followed her into the room.

Bella wiped some sugar from her cheek onto her apron. "I'm making breakfast. I hope you don't mind," she smiled.

"Oh," mom smiled widely, "Thank you, dear."

"That's very nice of you," dad nodded, sitting down next to mom.

"You wouldn't happen to have powdered sugar for this French toast would you?" Jasper asked, raising an eyebrow.

"And fruit topping," Bella held up the topping, nodding her head.

"You're living the dream," Em whispered in my ear.

"Who wants powdered sugar?" Bella smiled.

"Me!" everyone raised their hands.

What was going on?

"Good morning, Cullen family," Victoria waved at everyone. "Esme, what a lovely breakfast."

"It wasn't me," mom raised her hands. "This is all Bella."

"Oh," Vic deadpanned and looked strangely at her best friend. Then, she looked at me.

What was that?

"Nice, Bella," Victoria sighed and made herself a plate.

"Mhmm," Bella dug in to her plate.

"Okay," mom gathered everyone's attention. "It's almost nine o'clock. We're leaving here around eleven to go work with the schoolchildren," she informed us.

"Schoolchildren?" Vic asked nervously. "What's that about?"

"Every year, Edward and his family take time out of their break to tutor inner city children," Bella kissed my cheek. "It's so thoughtful."

"Can I just write a check and stay here?" Vic pleaded.

"It doesn't work like that," dad refused.

"Damn," she whispered.

"Oooh," Megan and Lexi sang in chorus.

"It's not that bad," Alice shrugged. "We'll be out by five o'clock this afternoon."

"Just pray you don't get the kindergartners," Rose added.

"Yes!" the rest of the table agreed.

They really were terrible.

"I guess," Vic sipped her orange juice. "I want the girls to be ready to practice for the karaoke competition when we get back," she pointed around the table.

"But…"

"Since I'm not allowed to participate," she interrupted Alice and smiled slyly, "I've decided that I'll help with the choreography. I've thought of the song and everything. You guys are going to dominate," she winked.

"We're in good hands," Bella assured Rose and Alice. "She's an excellent dancer."

"Fine," Alice crossed her arms. "However, I reserve the right to veto any choreography I find unacceptable."

"You won't find any unacceptable," Vic wiped her mouth with a flourish.

Breakfast was…different. Bella didn't say much. She just smiled and nodded at what everyone else said. She displayed perfect etiquette. It just wasn't her. She was acting…off.

It was unsettling.

Once everyone was finished, most went to their rooms to finish getting ready. Bella followed mom into the kitchen to help clean up the dishes.

"Edward," Bella waved me into the kitchen.

"But…"

"Hmph," she pointed to the table then to the sink.

Damn it.

I hated doing dishes. I'd rather move furniture.

"Bella," mom took the plates from her, "You cooked, we'll clean." She began scraping the plates and putting them into the washer.

"It's fine," Bella grabbed more plates, "I'll help."

"You've done enough already," mom took the plates from her hands. Bella clasped her hands together and looked around the kitchen awkwardly.

"I just wanted to apologize for yesterday," she started. "Whatever it was…"

"No, sweetie," mom stopped Bella's speech, "You don't have to apologize for anything."

"I just feel like I ruined…"

"You didn't 'ruin' anything," mom hugged her. "You know what?" she sighed, "I should apologize to you…to both of you," she hugged me as well and then took both of our hands. "We were all so excited about Edward and you that we got out of control. That was out of line and Carlisle and I are _so_ sorry."

"We…"

"Let me finish," mom pleaded. "I should've asked if you wanted your engagement in the paper. I should've stood up to Renee about the party. You two haven't had a moment to just…bask in being engaged since it happened."

"It's…" Bella mumbled.

"We're…" I tried.

"I'm making up for it right now." Mom looked sternly at both of us, "I'm relieving you two of any duties today. Do something…couply. Enjoy each other," she ordered. She went back to cleaning up, taking the rest of the plates from the counter. "Don't argue," she turned to continue rinsing the dishes and loading the dishwasher, basically dismissing us.

"Um…okay," we said together and walked away quickly.

"That was awesome," I smiled, sitting on the couch.

"Mhmm," Bella grinned back. It looked forced. "I still feel like shit, though. I was such a baby."

Baby? How could she think she'd acted like a baby? Considering the circumstances, I'd say she had reacted rather appropriately. She had the world's biggest douche and bitch for parents.

"Bella," I patted my legs so she would sit on my lap. "You had...have…every right to be upset."

"I'm not upset," she used that familiar monotone. "Being upset over something that'll never change is stupid." She smiled, getting up. "You're more upset than I am," she ruffled my hair.

"Bella…"

"I have to use the restroom," she left quickly to go down the hall.

"Don't push it right now," Vic came into the room. "You're asking for trouble."

It was good to have someone to talk to about this. Vic was the only person besides me that really knew Bella. She knew what was wrong with her.

"Vic," I whispered, "What's wrong with her?"

"What do you think is wrong with her?" she rolled her eyes.

"It was better last night. She cried and we had a heart-to-heart. Now, she's acting like it didn't even happen. Victoria, this isn't…"

"Okay," she put her hands up, "You're right. Of course, you're right."

"Help me!" I begged. "What do I do?"

I wanted my sarcastic Bella back.

"Leave it alone."

"What?" I asked in shock. "Leave it alone? She's walking around acting like a zombie and you want me to leave it alone?"

"Yeah," she crossed her ankle over her knee. "Listen. You and I both know that Bella is upset. However, Bella will never admit that she's drastically affected by what happened yesterday until she's ready."

"This isn't healthy."

"Of course it's not," she agreed. "Bella's not okay. It's obvious. BUT…she's _acting_ like she's okay. She'll even get mad at you for suggesting that she's _not_ okay."

"When she had dinner with her parents, it was different…"

"Was it?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," I nodded. "We had McDonald's, got drunk, and cried."

"Then you went to a street fair the next day and she didn't go into detail about what happened," she said.

"Well…"

I thought back to when we'd gone to the fair. We didn't really have an in-depth discussion then, either.

"Exactly," Vic clapped softly. "I'm trying to help you. Bella will open up when she's ready."

"Wanna play?" Bella came back in shuffling a deck of cards. "It was fun last time."

"Sure," Vic said.

It was awkward. Bella might have only said ten words the entire time. She didn't talk trash when she won. She didn't accuse anyone of cheating when they won.

"Oh," Bella snapped her fingers, "Good bluff, sweetie," she ruffled my hair.

"Leave it alone," Vic whispered to me.

"Alright everyone," dad shouted up the stairs, "It's time to go."

"Shit," Vic threw her cards on the table. "With my luck, I'll get the class with the bad kids and end up punting one of those little fuckers like they're a football."

"You'll do fine," Bella waved it off.

"Uncle Edward, Auntie Bella," Megan ran and jumped on the couch. "You guys aren't coming with us?"

"Nope," I shook my head. "Bella and I are going to spend some time together."

"Does that mean you're going to have mommy-daddy time?" Megan raised her eyebrow.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Victoria burst out laughing.

"What?" Megan asked, looking confused. "That's what my daddy calls it when he wants time alone with my mommy."

"Kids," Vic's laughter died down. "Wait," she stopped, "You two aren't going?!" her voice rose.

"Mom decided to give us the day off," I kissed Bella's hair. "We want to enjoy our newly-engaged bliss."

"Damn it," she whispered.

"Ooooh," my nieces hissed.

"Ugh," Victoria got up from the couch.

"Out," mom ushered everyone out of the house. "Let's get a move on," she added, leaving through the door. "Shut up, Victoria," I heard mom laugh.

"Enjoy your day, Son," dad smiled and waggled his brows at me. "Bye," he hugged me before closing the door behind him.

"See you later," Bella waved, coming down the hall with Snookie in her arms. "I hate to sound mean," Bella smiled, "but I'm glad we're alone."

"I am, too," I returned her sentiment, pulling her in for a kiss.

"Mmmm," she moaned, giving me a peck. "Ewww…" she started gagging as Snookie decided she wanted in on the action and started licking our mouths. "Gross, Snookie," Bella wiped her mouth and handed the dog to me.

"What can I say?" I chuckled, rubbing between Snookie's ears. "I'm irresistible."

"But you're mine," she hugged me, nestling her face into my neck. "What's this?" she poked the front pouch of my hoodie.

"What?"

"That?" she pointed to a bulge in the pouch.

"I don't know," I shrugged, pulling out a…

Oh, God.

Bella blushed red and started stammering, "Uh…"

"I didn't know this was in here!" I dropped it quickly on the table. Dad must have slipped it in there when he hugged me. Crafty bastard.

"It's okay," she giggled. "I mean…we're already engaged."

"Bella…" I started.

"Shut up," she rolled her eyes, picking up the box of condoms. "Magnums," she nodded her head appreciatively. "It's a ten-pack," she added trying not to smile. "Looks like your dad had high hopes for you," she couldn't help it and started laughing.

"This is so embarrassing," I huffed.

"Edward," she took my hands off my face, "You're not going to space out like when I saw your penis, are you?" she deadpanned.

Probably.

"Well…" she pulled her shirt up, exposing her breasts to me.

_Wow. _

_They got me every time. _

"Huh?" I asked.

"Worked last time," she pulled her shirt down and kissed me. "They're just condoms. Get over it," she playfully slapped my ass.

"Are you going to flash me every time I space out?" I asked, a smile creeping up on my face.

"Maybe," she raised an eyebrow.

I should space out more often.

"Don't go thinking you can space out on purpose just so I'll flash you," she pointed to me.

"There goes _that_ plan," I sighed and leaned on the wall.

"You can always just ask," she wrapped her arms around my waist.

"Good to know."

"What do you want to do today?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"Come on," she looked up at me, "You grew up here. You should know what's fun. I'm getting cabin fever here."

"I didn't get out much," I confessed.

I was a little embarrassed by my relatively hermit-like existence. I didn't really have a normal childhood or adolescence. It was not that my parents didn't try. I just liked not having my ass kicked by bullies.

"You, too, huh?" she asked.

"You?" I asked shocked. "You got to play in Russia and live in New York. Your dad probably has a house in every country."

"Yes," she rolled her eyes, "I never got to do anything that wasn't 'Renee approved' and that meant anything that didn't make her feel superior to people."

"Damn," I shook my head, "Your mother is a real bitch."

"She never let me play in the park," Bella remembered. "When I asked her why I couldn't play with other kids, she said that she didn't want me playing with poor people, like it was catching or something."

"Really?" I questioned, absolutely dumbfounded.

I didn't know why I was surprised.

"Unfortunately," she said lowly.

Then, I got an idea.

"That's where we're going," I told her.

"We're too old."

"No, we aren't," I argued. "Put some shoes on."

"So demanding," she sighed, walking upstairs.

I went into the kitchen to get my car keys and my phone. I didn't know when we would be back so I packed a picnic basket quickly and ran to stash it in the trunk of the car.

"Ready?" she walked into the garage, putting on a blazer.

"Yes," I opened the door for her and Snookie jumped inside.

"Thank you," she kissed my cheek and settled inside the car.

"You're welcome," I smiled.

"_Welcome back, Edward,_" the car spoke to me. I couldn't help the grin that crept up on my face.

"You love this car, don't you?" Bella raised an eyebrow.

"It's a nice car," I shrugged, pulling out of the driveway.

"Your family is really nice," Bella smiled wistfully.

"I get that a lot," I grabbed her hand. "They love you."

"I know," she looked out the window. "That's why I'm starting to feel like shit."

"Hey," I squeezed her hand, "We're dating. We're just not fiancés. So…"

"It's only half of a lie," I saw her fighting a smile.

It might not be a lie for long.

"Huh?" she asked.

"Nothing," I blurted out.

"Okay," she kissed my hand.

I loved how the slightest touch from her lips sent an electric shock down my spine. I looked forward to more.

We drove in comfortable silence, familiar sights starting to approach.

"Time for a tour," I gathered her attention.

"Ooooh," she perked up.

"There's my old preschool," I pointed out her window, turning into the parking lot of the school. "While attending St. Vincent's, I met my arch nemesis and bane of my existence, James Hunter," I scowled.

"It's a nice school."

"It smelled like cigarettes and bologna," I chuckled.

"Ewww…" Bella started laughing with me.

I loved her laugh.

"It's weird that my father went there like forty-five years ago," I added a nice fact.

"Cool."

"The principal I had when I went there was my dad's principal, too," I shivered. "She was so old. I wonder if she's still alive."

"Probably not," Bella shook her head.

"Right there," I pointed to a tree on the playground, "is where I got my first wedgie. James, of course," I nodded my head. "I was stuck there for ten minutes while Sister Mary tried to get me down."

"How did he get you up that far?"

"I have no clue," I shivered.

"What an asshole," Bella kissed me. "I'm sorry you were teased," she offered a sad smile.

"It didn't kill me so it made me stronger," I tangled my hands in her hair, taking her in for another kiss. I smiled when she moaned as our tongues intertwined. She tasted so good.

"I would've protected you."

"You're three years younger than me," I reminded her.

"I would've made Charlie or Phil hire you a bodyguard," she rebutted, grinning.

It didn't escape me that she'd called her father by his first name. Thinking of the first time this happened; it led me to think she did that when she was mad at him. I didn't know. She had been pretty distraught yesterday. I couldn't imagine anything worse than what had happened.

I hoped they would make it right.

"You would've been one of them."

"Mhmm," she nodded her head. "When I was in preschool, the teachers were too scared of my parents to let me do anything or let anything happen to me," she griped. "I'm surprised they didn't wrap me in bubble wrap."

"You're precious," I winked at her. "They had to keep you safe."

"When you put it that way…" she led off.

We continued our drive until we pulled up in front of the park.

"I remember coming here a couple of times with my family," I told her.

"It's beautiful," she said, putting Snookie on a leash.

It was a somewhat small park. It was abundant with trees and a giant lawn with some children running around. There was a fountain in the middle of the area and a small duck pond in the back.

"Beautiful," she whispered looking around. As she admired the park, I noticed a ray of sunshine peeking through the clouds to shine on her. The golden glow flushed everything else in my line of vision except her face. She pointed to something off in the distance and smiled. Her brown orbs lit up with her smile before she laughed.

I didn't feel anything.

I didn't see anything.

I just saw…her.

I saw Bella.

She was so beautiful.

"Edward," she waved her hand in front of my face, "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," I smiled.

"Good," she nodded her head. "I wasn't going to flash you in a public place."

"I was just thinking," I shrugged.

"Let's go sit by the fountain," she grabbed my hand. "I've always wanted to do this," she grinned, taking her shoes off.

"What are you doing?" I asked nervously.

She wasn't…was she?

"This," she sat on the edge of the fountain and put her bare feet in the water.

"Bella," I scolded, "Who knows when the last time the park officials changed that water!"

"Come on," she wiggled her toes, "Live a little. The water is nice," she splashed her feet around.

"You're going to get gangrene!" I tried to move out of the way so the infected water wouldn't get on me.

I wasn't kidding. One time, I was watching the Health channel and I saw a special about this man that got gangrene from stepping in a puddle. He had to get his leg amputated.

"I have excellent health insurance," she joked, splashing me with water.

"Bella…"

"Edward," she sighed, "When have I steered you wrong?"

I raised an eyebrow.

Perhaps when she convinced me to let my family believe that we were engaged?

"Really?" she rolled her eyes. "That's just as much your fault as mine."

"No."

"Please?" she asked, jutting out her lower lip in an obvious pout.

Just like that…I was powerless.

I was so whipped.

"Fine." I slowly took off my shoes and socks, rolling my jeans up. "I'm only doing this because you let me play with your boobies," I joked, putting my feet in the cold water.

I could feel the germs getting under my toenails.

"I should flash you more often," she smiled, rubbing her feet with mine.

It wasn't so bad.

"Ugh," I mumbled. "Yeah," I wiggled my toes.

"It's not so bad," she nudged my shoulder with hers.

"Nope," I rested my chin on the top of her head.

Snookie jumped in the fountain with us and started running around. I wrapped my arm around Bella and kissed the crown of her head.

"Excuse me, Sir, Ma'am," a cop in uniform tapped me on the shoulder, "You're not allowed to have your feet…or pets in the pool," he told us frowning.

"Sorry," Bella said swinging her feet out of the pool and grabbing Snookie.

Thank God.

I had lost feeling in my toes.

"Oh, well," I got out of the water as the cop walked away.

"Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"You're it!" she touched my shoulder and ran off.

She cheated!

"No fair!" I shouted, running after her.

Apparently, Bella's mother had made her run track in high school. It was impossible to catch her. Couple this with my overall lack of athletic skill and it was a very short game of tag. Once I declared Bella the Queen of Tag…times infinity…with _no_ take-backs…she let me rest.

"You tried," she patted my back, resting her head on my shoulder. "I'm just…shit!" she ran back in front of the fountain. "NO!"

"What?" I ran to close the gap between us. "What happened?"

"Our shoes!" she cried, sitting on the edge of the fountain. "Someone stole them!" she crossed her arms.

"I'm sorry," I offered my apologies.

I'd noticed that Bella had a lot of shoes. In all the time I'd known her, I hadn't seen her wear the same pair twice. I couldn't even say the same for Alice.

"Those were so comfortable, too. Plus, they were Victoria's," she sighed.

"Wow," I stepped back. "I'm really sorry."

Victoria was going to kill her.

"We should probably go back," Bella huffed, "Having no shoes and all."

"Nope…wait here," I grinned before running back to the car. Luckily, the thief had left my socks so I was not completely barefoot.

I grabbed the picnic basket and blanket from the trunk and went back to Bella.

"A picnic?" she asked surprised. "That's so sweet."

"I try," I smiled, taking her hand. I led her to the duck pond and lay the blanket out for us.

"There are even ducks here!" she noticed as I sat down behind her.

I took out some bread from the basket for us to feed the ducks.

"I must say," she started, eating a small piece of bread, "You've created quite the romantic setting," she complimented, feeding me a grape.

"It's all part of the plan," I gloated.

"I think it's working," she giggled, throwing more bread at the ducks. "I feel thoroughly wooed."

"I've not even _begun_ to woo you," I waggled my eyebrows, causing her to laugh.

"Shut up," she stuffed some cheese in my mouth.

"I let you do that because I like cheese," I joked.

"Sure," she threw more bread for the ducks.

She leaned her head on my shoulder and looked up at me. I bent my head down to kiss her. I looked out of the corner of my eye to see an older couple on a nearby bench holding hands. They looked like they were in their seventies.

"Look," I nodded my head toward the couple.

"Oh," Bella smiled, "They're so old…and so cute."

"Yeah. Old people are cute," I agreed, "Unless they're mean. Then they're assholes," I added.

"No one stays together anymore," she sighed. "It's scary."

"Not everyone splits," I argued.

"Maybe not everyone," she backed up.

"Are you admitting that you're wrong about this whole 'fairytales are bullshit' theory?" I asked, feigning shock.

"No," she giggled, "I'm admitting that there's a _possibility_ that I'm wrong," she corrected. "There's a difference."

"I'll take what I can get," I rolled my eyes and threw some bread at the ducks.

"Is it me…or are the ducks getting too close?" Bella asked, scooting up.

I followed her line of vision to see a cloud of grey and black feathers swimming closer and closer to us. They were closing us in.

"Uh..." I led off.

"I'm getting scared," she slowly stood up.

"They aren't going to do anything," I waved it off.

"They're on land!" she yelled, throwing the last piece of bread in the water. "You get the basket. I'll get Snookie," she commanded, grabbing her dog and running away.

I quickly grabbed the blanket and basket, forgetting the food. I ran behind her to the sound of quacking and the aforementioned old couple laughing at us.

I walked up to see Bella already in the car and the engine running.

"I'm over this," she huffed, opening my car door.

"I saved the picnic from the demon ducks," I said, trying to reign in my laughter.

"Shut up," she crossed her arms. "Did you see the look in their beady little eyes? They looked…"

"Hungry?" I asked starting the car.

"They looked like they wanted to peck our faces off!" she cried. "They almost got Snookie," she rubbed her dog's head, "But Mommy saved you, huh."

"Who knew…Bella is scared of…ducks," I laughed at her.

"Stop it," she deadpanned.

"Shuffrin Shuccotasth!" I shouted in my best Daffy Duck voice.

"Just drive," she looked out the window.

I took several opportunities to make fun of her while we drove home by quacking and singing Old McDonald. It was fun until she poked me in my throat while I was driving.

"I'm happy you got a good laugh," Bella rolled her eyes, opening the door.

"Don't be a sthour pusth," I begged. "You laughed at me about the condoms."

"That was funny!"

"This is, too," I laughed, following her to the door.

"Where have you been?" Victoria answered the door. She looked pissed. "Rehearsal was supposed to have started twenty minutes ago," she looked at her watch. "Is your phone broken?"

"What are you wearing?" Bella and I asked in unison.

She had on a white shirt tied to the side that exposed a tiny sliver of her stomach with high-waist black shorts. The odd thing was the fishnet pantyhose she was wearing under the shorts and her high-heeled shoes.

"This is my dance gear," she pulled us inside. "Go upstairs…where are my shoes?" she pointed to Bella's bare feet.

"They got…stolen," Bella confessed.

Victoria's eyebrow started twitching and her lip curled. "Those were Jimmy Choos," she growled. "I'll deal with you later," she breathed. "Go upstairs and get changed. Wear heels you can shake your ass in," she ordered.

"Yes, Ma'am," Bella saluted and walked upstairs.

Her ass was amazing.

"You," Vic snapped her fingers to get my attention, "Go change into some sweats and a t-shirt. You're in the performance."

Huh?

"Huh?" I asked. "I'm…not a good dancer."

Not by any means.

At all.

"Pssh," she rolled her eyes, "Emmett and Jasper said the same thing trying to save their asses. I'll see you in the sun room," she patted my shoulder. "Five minutes!"

I quickly changed and went to meet the rest of the group. Victoria pointed to a chair across from Jasper. Emmett was sitting in the middle of us, but he was facing closer up. Our chairs were facing backwards and the girls were standing next to our chair.

"I'm so excited," Alice smiled. "This is going to be so fun."

"As long as we beat the Denali's, I don't care," Rose looked at her nails.

"You clearly haven't competed in anything with Victoria," Bella shook her head. She had on a white t-shirt and grey and white yoga capris with silver sparkly shoes.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen," Vic smiled entering the room. "Let's get started."

"What the Hell is that?" Jasper asked pointing to the giant stick Victoria was holding in her hand.

"A tree branch that I scraped all the bark off of," she explained simply. "By the way, I owe you a hunting knife," she added. "Ever since I saw Debbie Allen with one in Fame, I've wanted to try this," she giggled.

"O…kay," we all said in unison.

"Alrighty," she smiled "I'll begin off with a slow count of eight to start us off," she clapped, "five, six, seven, eight…"

Forty-five minutes later…

"Goddamn it!" Victoria threw her fake microphone across the room. "It's a sixteen count, Alice," she face-palmed herself, "Two counts…of eight."

"Victoria…"

"All the greats did it! It's simple," Vic snapped her fingers, "Step, ball, change…kick, step, spin…and stomp!" she ended the dance combo, with a stomp of her foot.

"I'm sorry," Alice mumbled.

"Don't be sorry," Victoria ordered, "Be useful," she stomped her foot again. "FROM THE TOP!" she yelled, turning the iPod back on.

"Vic," Bella huffed, "We're not auditioning for FAME. Give us a rest."

"My feet are tired," Rose complained, sitting on Emmett's lap.

"Rest them later," Vic turned around.

"I can always rest them when I put my foot up your ass for pissing me off," Rose countered.

"FROM THE…"

"I'm out of here," Alice stomped out of the room.

"Hey…" Vic shouted as we left one by one, "Get back here! Fine. Practice is tomorrow at noon."

"Your friend is mean," Alice pouted to Bella as Jasper carried her upstairs.

"Sorry," Bella apologized, following me upstairs as well.

"Victoria is intense," I shuddered, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"She just loves to win," Bella hissed, taking her heels off. "For her first grade talent show, she got her dad to hire Madonna's choreographer to come up with a dance for her," she giggled. "She won."

"Obviously," I replied.

"Ouch," she whimpered, limping to the bed. "Bitch…" she whined, cracking her toes.

"I'm sorry," I pouted, rubbing her feet.

"Ahhh…" she smiled, "That's nice."

"Well, she worked us hard," I kissed her.

"She worked _us_ hard," she replied, referring to the girls. "The only thing you guys did was sit in a chair and talk," she said bitterly.

I smiled. She was right. Jasper, Emmett, and I were basically props. We didn't do anything, really.

"Jealousth," I chuckled, reverting to my earlier Daffy Duck joke.

"Ugh," she tugged her feet away from me and flopped back on the bed.

"Don't be mad," I pulled her in for a hug.

"Hmph," she playfully shrugged away.

"Sthomeone can't take a jothe," I started again.

"You're such an asshole."

"Your asthole," I laughed. She elbowed me in the gut.

"Mhmm," she turned around to look at me. "Thank you," she wrapped her hand around the back of my neck to pull me closer.

"For what?"

"For not pushing me this morning," she shrugged, "For not walking on eggshells around me."

"I know the feeling," I told her.

"I hate it when people try to make me talk," she admitted and smiled awkwardly. "I've never been accused of being an emotional person."

"You're still perfect to me," I placed my nose in the crook of her neck.

I loved her smell.

"What?" she whispered, looking at me.

"I…uh…" I paused realizing I had spoken out loud again.

"Come here," she whispered, pulling me in for a kiss. Her hands ran through my hair as our teeth clinked together from the impact. "Mmm…" she moaned, hitching her leg over mine.

I ground myself against her center, feeling myself grow harder by the second.

I loved this woman.

"I love your smell, and you're kind of perfect, too," she blushed. "No one has ever been there for me like you have," her eyes started watering. "Not Victoria…not anybody," she sniffled. "You didn't bitch or complain. You just listened and that meant the world to me," she touched my cheek.

"I'm here," I wiped a stray tear from her face. "You know that, right?"

"Mhmm," she nodded her head smiling at me. "Edward?"

"Yeah?" I asked, mesmerized by her.

"I…" she breathed, "I… uh…" she paused, "I'm very happy I have you," she smiled.

"I'm very happy to have you, too," I kissed her forehead.

I love you.

"Edward?"

"Hmm?"

"Put your hand under my shirt."

I'd be glad to.


	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry for the delay. School is back in and I'm already swamped. Dollybigmomma is my beta extraordinaire.**

**Here we go…**

**I own nada. **

**EMOTIONAL WARFARE**

**Chapter 19**

**BPOV**

I turned over and smiled at how peaceful Edward looked. Poor thing. He had been under a lot of stress the past few days. He was so…sexy. Seriously, how this man could have ever thought he was ugly was beyond me.

His crazy auburn hair…

His smile…

How he pinched the bridge of his nose when he was frustrated...

The cute way his eyebrows rose when he was confused...

His beyond-gorgeous green eyes and how they sparkled for no apparent reason...

Those were just a few of the things that I…loved about him.

Yes.

You heard it here first. I was in love with Edward.

I was not really sure when it happened. I guess it was when my dad had left. Edward was just…there. He held me and wiped my tears away. He listened to me bitch and moan and didn't say a word. It wasn't like he was just waiting for me to be done. He was letting me vent and really listening. He was there…he was _really_ there. I looked into his eyes and suddenly, I felt different. Our fuck-awesome, minus the ducks, day at the park kind of cemented it.

I brushed a rogue piece of hair out of his eyes and wondered what the hell I was going to do now. I was in dire need of guidance. I kissed his nose and scooted out of bed to think.

I walked through the halls and heard the faint sound of giggling. Feeling nosy, I walked further to discover Victoria. She was sitting on her bed giggling at her cell phone.

"What's so funny at six o'clock in the morning?" I asked, walking in to sit on the edge of her bed.

"I just sent James a picture of my pussy," she blushed, putting her phone on the side table.

"TMI, Vic," I shivered.

"You wanted to know."

"I didn't want to know _that_," I countered.

"We had phone sex last night," she admitted, leaping over to my side of the bed.

I didn't want to know _that,_ either.

"You overshare," I told her.

"Sue me," she sighed a dreamy sigh. "He loves dirty talk more than I do…almost," she finished after a short deliberation.

"Vic…"

"Come on," she rolled her eyes, "I need someone to discuss the nasty with," she urged. "Humor me."

"Ugh."

"He was all like, 'You want me to eat…'"

"I'm in love with Edward," I blurted out, cutting her off.

"What?"

"I'm in love with Edward," I repeated.

"You're smiling," she poked my cheek.

"I guess I am," I felt the heat rising in my face.

"Finally," she huffed.

"What does that mean?"

"You finally admitted it," she winked.

"Huh?"

"You two have been beating around each other's bush for a while," she huffed. "You're finally in the same arena."

In the same arena? What did she mean by that? Did that mean that he felt the same way? I thought back to the past couple of days. He'd been really touchy-feely and nice…but he was always nice. He admitted to liking me, but that didn't mean he loved me.

"I've never felt this way before," I admitted. "I never thought I'd have to deal with this."

"Considering your upbringing and how you were raised, somewhat, by two people that ultimately despise each other…" she paused thinking, "It's no wonder you think that way."

"Let's not bring my parents into this," I begged. I was still pissed at them for the other night. I didn't see how I could ever forgive them for that.

"Bella," she started again, "Edward is a total sweetie. Seriously, if I were into nice guys, I'd have tried to steal him by now," she joked. "Take your time with it. Let it come naturally. Don't force it," she patted my shoulder as her phone buzzed. "Ooh!" she shrieked.

I felt a litter better. I was still scared shitless, though. I'd never been in love…not even the sandbox variety. I always thought love was for idiots.

"Look!" Vic shoved her phone in my face. "Look what he sent me."

"No!" I closed my eyes. "If he sent you a picture of his cock…"

"I wouldn't share that," she chuckled. "I have _some_ boundaries. Come on!" she urged.

"Fine," I opened my eyes to see a text message.

**James3: I'm going to fuck you so hard you won't be able to walk for a week. **

"Isn't he sweet?" she gushed, texting back feverishly.

"How romantic," I deadpanned.

"I'd bet Edward likes a little dirty talk," she giggled. "Does he?" she scooted closer.

"Vic…"

"Oh, my God…he does," she kicked her feet in the air. "He's probably really good at eating p…"

"I'm leaving," I jumped up and headed for the door.

"Don't be like that," she giggled. "He has those plump lips…and that pout. Can't you just imagine…"

"Stop it!" I covered my ears and stomped off.

I went to lie back in bed. Edward snuggled close to me.

"I missed you," he whispered, placing a kiss on my neck.

_I love you. _

"I was talking to Victoria," I wrapped my arms around him. "I missed you, too."

"I want to kiss you good morning," I felt him smile against me.

"Who am I to stop you?" I asked, turning over to face him.

"Good," he leaned in closer and connected his lips to mine in a kiss. Soon our kiss turned from a greeting to a more needy exchange, our tongues massaging each other's.

"Edward," I found myself whimpering, grinding my hips into his as his hands inched under my shirt.

"Yes?" he gave me his crooked smirk as he started messaging my…

"Aunt Bella! Uncle Edward!" I heard Lexi call before I heard a knock.

I mouthed 'fuck,' before we both answered, "Yeah?"

"Aunt Rose told me to tell you to stop being horny and come down for breakfast," she piped.

"Okay," we drew out, Edward rolling off of me.

After we regained our composure, we brushed our teeth and headed downstairs.

"There are our lovebirds," Esme smiled, waving us to the table.

"Son," I heard Carlisle whisper to Edward, "I hope you've been using what I bought you…"

"Please stop," Edward blocked his ears, no doubt thinking about the condom incident yesterday.

"Just sayin'," his father shrugged, going back to his breakfast.

"How was your day yesterday?" Alice asked, cutting up Lexi's food. "I never asked."

_I figured out I was in love with your brother…for real. _

"It was great," Edward pulled out my chair.

"Mhmm," I smiled, snuggling in close to him. He put his arm around me. "He surprised me with a picnic in the park."

"Anything for my future wife," Edward grinned, kissing the top of my head. Out of instinct, I moved to touch my bald spat. Edward's hand covered mine and he shook his head. "It's okay."

"What's okay?" the table asked.

"Nothing," I shook my head and kissed Edward's cheek.

"You two are so cute," Rose pointed between us.

"Yes, she is," Edward chuckled, nuzzling his nose into my neck. I couldn't help it. I giggled.

A real one.

The members at the table chuckled with me and I briefly wondered about Edward and myself.

Did he know how I felt about him?

If he did know, how did he feel about it?

"Young love," Carlisle sighed.

"There's nothing like it," Esme looked at us and smiled.

What did Carlisle and Esme see when they looked at us? What did they see when they looked at me?

Did they know?

"Hey," Megan looked around, "Where's Ms. Vicki?"

I looked around and saw no sign of her.

"She looked pretty mad after we got done at the school," Lexi added, petting Snooki.

"That sounds about right," I nodded my head. Victoria hated children. I was pretty sure she hated kids when she was a kid.

"Hello, lovely Cullen's," Victoria entered the room with several shopping bags.

"You went shopping?" I asked.

"It's the wardrobe for tonight's performance," she explained. "We need to do a dress rehearsal. I'm so glad they had what I wanted."

"Uh…" Alice started whining, "Don't you think _we_ should've gotten a chance to decide?" she asked, a little irritated. I could tell she was very anal about what she wore.

"If it was a group affair, we'd have gotten sidetracked. It would've impacted our practice time," Victoria set the bags down.

"Well…what is it?" Rose asked.

"Don't worry, it's fabulous," Vic gushed. "It's campy…in a sexy way. That's a very hard line to straddle," she wiggled her eyebrows.

"We'd better not look stupid," Alice warned.

"You won't," Vic waved her off. "Oh! I need the men to wear a suit to rehearsal. A dark blue or black one will suffice," she added.

What?

After breakfast, we were released to go get ready for rehearsal. Edward let me shower first. I changed into some sweatpants and heels. I was sure Vic didn't want us to practice all day in the costumes. But Edward…oh, Edward. He walked out in a dark blue suit with a white shirt and light blue tie. It was tailored to perfection. Edward had looked good in the suit my mother had gotten him. But this…wow.

It accentuated his…everything.

Yes.

I was going to buy him another one…or ten.

Mmmm…

"Bella!" Edward waved his hand in front of my face, "Are you okay?" he asked, sounding worried.

"Yeah," I smiled. Oh, yeah...

"Let's this over with," he huffed, taking me by the hand and going downstairs.

I walked behind him so I could see how great his ass looked in his suit.

Delicious.

"Nice of you two to come," Vic smiled. She had on a short black dress and sheer black stockings with black silk lines on them…and six-inch Christian Louboutin heels.

"The pleasure is all mine," I deadpanned, walking to my place.

"Here we go," Rose griped.

"Okay," Vic started, picking up the giant stick she'd had yesterday, "I realize that yesterday I was a little harsh, but I just want us to win, that's all," she smiled. "So, if I start to push you guys too hard…bitch to your significant other because I DON'T GIVE A SHIT!" she finished with a bang and turned on the iPod. "FROM THE TOP!" she yelled.

Here we go…

Two and a half hours later…

"SHIT!" Victoria stopped the song. "Rhythm, Bella. Do you have it?" she hissed.

"Sorry," I stretched my shoulders, "I lost count."

I was too busy staring at Edward's crotch. It looked very inviting in his suit.

"That's obvious," she rolled her eyes. "It only takes four counts to wind up to the top," she demonstrated, "Not five!"

"Never again," I huffed.

"From the chorus," Vic ordered, pressing the play button.

"My feet hurt," Alice complained.

"See," Vic sighed, stopping the song again, "This is the attitude that lost you the competition last year," she pointed to Alice.

The entire room gasped. Apparently, last year's contest was still a sore spot for Alice.

"What?" Alice crossed her arms. "The only reason the Denali's won is because they probably sucked the judges' cock or something," she hissed.

"The only thing that means is that they wanted it _more_ than you did," Vic calmly responded before turning to face the rest of us. "You guys, we're on the brink of greatness. We're on the last eight-count of the song. I know it's tough. Our song is hot. Our dance moves are hot. And our wardrobe will be even hotter. Our victory is in the bag," she promised. "Bear with me," she begged, pressing play.

The entire group sighed as the girls started dancing.

"One…two…three…four…no…no…NO!" Vic banged her stick on the ground, breaking it a bit. "Where did all the effort go?" she yelled, walking around the room, "Because…right now, I see none!"

"Vic, that was perfect," I argued.

"It was perfect in footwork…but not in sex appeal," she face-palmed herself. "This is Lady Gaga. She screams sex. This woman made an outfit out of police tape!" she shook her head. "Think about _that_. Become _that_. Embody _that_," she sighed, frustrated. "Let's take a five-minute break. I'll find some vodka. It'll calm me down. Hopefully, you all can find some rhythm," she shook her head and left the room.

"Bella," Rose turned to me, "I'm going to punch Victoria in the face," she notified.

I shook my head in warning, "I wouldn't do that."

"Oh…I will," she nodded her head.

"Victoria is the best fighter I've ever seen," I admitted. "She fought two cops at one time…drunk. She gave them a run for their money."

That was how she had gotten arrested with that DUI…and for assaulting an officer…and for resisting arrest.

"Well, she'd better back the fuck up," Rose hissed as Vic came back into the room with what looked to be a glass of cranberry vodka in her hand. It was in a tall glass...a very tall glass.

"Okay," she sipped her drink, "Mmmm, that's good," she smiled. "Let's take it from the very top," she pressed the play button.

For about four minutes, we all danced; terrified of hearing that annoying screeching thing Vic did when she was disgusted. Surprisingly, we didn't hear it. The last beat sounded and the song faded out.

"Well…" Vic paused, and then she burped. "Yes!" she screamed, attempting to clap and hold her drink at the same time. "I was captivated…fucking moved…riveted even," she smiled, taking another long sip of her drink. "Fuck, I'm a great choreographer," she nodded her head in pride.

"Thank God," Alice collapsed in Jasper's lap.

"From the top!" Vic turned the song back on.

"_What_?" we all shouted.

_**Another**_ hour later…

I looked in the mirror at the wardrobe Victoria had picked out for us and started laughing. I had to give it to her. When she went for a theme, she went all out. I put on the short black wig and my giggles intensified.

"This is fucking awesome," Rose smiled, coming out in the infamous white dress and blonde curly wig.

"I don't understand why _you_ get to be Marilyn," Alice pouted at Rose, coming out in the same outfit I had on.

"It's because I'm taller," Rose stuck her tongue out playfully.

"Hmph," Alice turned her head.

"Okay," Vic came back in, her drink more than halfway empty. "Let's try this with our outfits on," she prompted.

"Wait a minute," Emmett interrupted, looking at us, "You look like…" he did a double-take, "And they look like…" It was like I could see his brain connecting the theme of our outfits to the song we were singing. "BAHAHAHA! For the win!" he burst out, yelling and fist-pumped Victoria.

"You would've made a better Marilyn," Edward whispered in my ear, his arms circling my waist.

"It's okay," I kissed him. "I'm being a good sport."

"From the top!" Vic shouted, turning the song on.

**Yet **_**another**_** two hours later…**

"Yes…yes…yes," Vic sighed, "Perfection. We're finished," she clapped her hands in Alice fashion.

"Finally," Edward huffed as I collapsed in his lap.

"What time is the competition?" I asked, looking at his watch.

I couldn't believe we'd been practicing this long.

"It's in about an hour and a half," he said.

"Don't eat, ladies," Vic advised, taking her heels off. "We don't need any cramps or bloating during the performance."

"And it continues," Edward sighed.

I loved Victoria, but she could be annoying as Hell at times like this.

"Unfortunately," I took off my heels.

"Do your feet hurt?" he asked. I pouted as a response.

"Okay," he smiled, lifting me and carrying me upstairs.

I was so aroused right now.

"Oooh," I breathed, staring at him as he placed me on the bed, "I love having a strong fiancé," I winked at him.

"I'm not strong," he debated, climbing on top of me. "You're just really tiny," he started placing kisses on my neck.

"Picking up where we left off?"

"Exactly," he answered, his hands taking residence back under my shirt.

"Hey!" Vic knocked on the door, "Get dressed."

"Seriously?" I deadpanned, resting my head in the crook of Edward's neck.

"One of these days, we'll get some legit alone time," he gave me a peck and leaned off of me.

_I love you._

"Zip up your pants and get ready!" Rose shouted through the door.

"Ugh," I griped.

I took yet another shower and changed into some jeans and a t-shirt. I doubted Vic would make us practice anymore. However, I packed some sensible heels in my bag.

"I'm so excited," Alice grinned from ear to ear as we all piled into Emmett's car and started on our way.

"You guys are a shoe-in," Vic smiled, hugging all three of us. "The Denali's don't stand a chance."

"If they win this year, I'll know something is fixed," Rose nodded her head.

"My feet are sore," I complained. Edward kissed me on the cheek. "That's better," I smirked.

"Ew…" Alice shrieked in disgust. "I swear, Bella; you're always molesting my brother."

"It's not molestation if it's consensual," Edward replied, kissing my neck. I giggled, yet again.

I loved him.

"You guys are gross," Rose chuckled along with Victoria, although Vic was laughing for a different reason.

It took thirty minutes to drive to the club. Once we entered the parking lot, I instantly understood why Rose and Alice made a big deal out of this contest.

"Whoa," I whispered, looking at the number of cars in the parking lot and people standing around talking.

"I know," Rose nudged my shoulder. "I almost shit myself when I saw all those people the first time."

"Everyone comes to the contest," Alice explained. "It's like a tradition."

"Every year, it comes down to the Denali's and the girls," Jasper nibbled on Alice's ear.

"They win some…we win most," Alice sighed. "There'll be no repeat of last year, though," she seethed. It was more to herself than to us.

I hoped we win. She was scaring me.

"Nervous?" Edward asked as we got out of the car.

"No," I shrugged. "It's just a competition."

"With the ultimate prize of bragging rights for a year," Alice added, shocked over my cavalier attitude.

"Plus, the fifty thousand dollars donated to the charity of your choice," Rose finished.

"Oh, yeah," Alice remembered, "There is that."

"Will there be a trophy by any chance?" Vic asked, her blue eyes shining with hope.

"Of course," Edward nodded.

"Fuck yes," she grinned.

I knew that grin.

What was she planning?

"I'll go check us in," Rose volunteered, disappearing into the crowd.

"Hey, Edward," I heard Tanya's hideous voice call from behind me.

I turned around and saw she had on a low-cut, short bubblegum-pink dress. It fit better than the other outfits she'd worn. Don't get me wrong, though. It was still tight as Hell. Her boobs looked like they might spill out.

Bitch.

"Hey, Tanya," Edward responded by waving.

"You look sexy in that suit," she smiled, moving her chubby finger to touch his chest.

"I know," I put my arms around his waist and angled my body to block her attack. "I _showed_ him how sexy I thought he was before we came here," I smirked, my voice dripping with innuendo. I heard Edward's gasp from behind me, "Twice."

MINE!

"Oooooh," Emmett boomed, before laughing.

"What?" Rose came back. "What did I miss?"

"I was just admiring Edward," Tanya rolled her eyes. "Have you been working out?" she asked, reaching around me and gripping Edward's forearm.

"Uh…" Edward started, looking at me.

"If you call pounding Bella's pussy a workout," Vic joked, looking between Edward and myself. "He'll have a six-pack in no time," she added, causing the group to start laughing.

"We used to work out back in the day," Tanya raised her eyebrow to me.

"Shouldn't you be casing a snack table?" I asked, getting more and more annoyed by Tanya's presence. "The Ho-Hos are almost gone."

"Daaayuum," Jasper started chuckling, choking on his gum.

"The only ho I see is you," Tanya replied.

"Really?" Vic sighed. "That's the best you've got?" She turned to Edward, "What were you thinking?" she asked, pointing to Tanya. "Seriously?"

"Bitch."

"Fat ass!" I countered on my friend's behalf. Nobody could call Vic a bitch but me.

"I'm not fat!"

"If it makes you sleep better at night, keep telling yourself that," Vic waved her off.

"I'll have you…"

"Tanya!" Tanya's sister yelled at her. "Hurry your fat ass up! We're on in like thirty minutes!" she ordered. She looked completely different from the others. She was covered in tattoos and piercings. She looked just as annoyed by Tanya as I was.

I think I liked her.

"Later, Eddie," Tanya smiled at Edward and walked away. I could tell she tried to walk sexy. The only thing I could focus on was her back fat and jiggling ass.

Bitch.

"I swear," Vic started, shaking her head, "If I weren't on probation, I'd…shit!" she yelled and took off running down the hallway.

"Hey, guys," James passed us with a sigh and started running after Victoria. "Eventually, I'm going to catch you!" he yelled, following her.

"Those two are starting to get on my nerves," Jane came up to us, nursing a martini. "I swear she's the only thing James talks about anymore," she took a long sip. "They should just fuck and get it over with."

"Hey, Jane," Edward moved to hug her.

"Hello, honey," she kissed his cheek and gave the rest of us hugs. "How are you doing, Bella?" she asked me, referring to the cluster fuck that had been the engagement party.

"Surprisingly well," I smiled, snuggling closer to Edward. He nuzzled his nose into my neck, causing the infamous spark to course through my body.

I loved that.

"Okay. I'm going to go," she waved to us. "Hopefully, someone will fall off the stage again like last year," she wished, crossing her fingers. "That was fun!"

"Whoa," Vic gasped out of breath, walking back to us. "I think I…goddamn it!" she started running again.

"You're running out of breath!" James shouted, running after Vic.

"Let's go," Edward started laughing, ushering us into the room.

"Why am I not surprised?" I asked, shaking my head.

The room was big enough to be considered an auditorium. It resembled an old-school 1940s cinema. There was a red velvet curtain across the stage, covered in gold trim. Seats surrounded three sides of the enormous stage, all covered in red velvet as well. The soft ambient lighting created a soft glow throughout the theater. Most of the seats were filled. Carlisle and Esme had saved us seats so we walked down to the front to sit with them.

"This looks awesome," I smiled. "Good job, Esme," I complimented her.

"I'm not in charge of this," Esme waved it off. "This is all Jane," she giggled, pointing to the stage. It looked like Jane was yelling at somebody. I think I heard her shout the word "incompetent."

"Greetings," Heidi said in her snooty unpleasant voice as she scooted past us to find her and Alec's seats. "I hope you girls brought you're A-game," she smiled. "My girls are in it to win it on this one," she gave me a look.

Bitch.

"I don't know," Esme chimed in, "The girls have quite the routine."

"Well…second place is nothing to be ashamed of," Heidi scoffed and turned her head as the lights faded to black and Jane appeared on stage.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen," Jane greeted to thunderous applause. "I, on behalf of the club, would like to welcome you all to the thirtieth annual singing competition," she amped up the crowd for more applause. "This year, we have ten talented acts, all well-versed and choreographed in the spirit of one…Ms. Lady Gaga!" she added. "The grand prize includes a fifty thousand dollar donation to the charity of your choice, and this great trophy," she held up a giant golden trophy. Vic would piss herself if we won that. "And, of course, the winner will have bragging rights for the whole year. I, for one, am excited," she smiled. "Let's get started!" she ended and the crowd clapped again.

"Is that the trophy?" Vic tapped my shoulder, pointing at the large shiny object.

"Yes."

"Damn," she whispered.

The curtain opened and the first group of three girls began.

"If this is the competition, we've got this in the bag," Alice smiled sinisterly.

"Calm down, Ali," Jasper rubbed her shoulders.

We weren't performing until later so we sat back and watched everyone else. We had already listened to groups perform song after song by Lady Gaga…_Paparazzi, Bad Romance, Poker Face, Just Dance, Marry the Night, Born this Way, _and_ Telephone. _They were good, but we were better.

"Okay," Jane came out. She was swaying a little to the side. She was hammered. "That was a lovely performance, girls," she clapped as the last group left the stage. "Our eighth performance will be by Irina, Tanya, and Kate Denali," she slurred a little, clapping.

"Watch and weep, ladies," Heidi stood up and clapped.

"We'll see," Alice huffed as the lights dimmed.

The three girls stood side by side in the dark with their backs turned to the audience, the spotlight shining down behind them.

"Forgive me father," they said in unison, "for I have sinned."

"_Judas_," Victoria and Alice guessed.

"I'll bet you guys five bucks they sing in slutty nun outfits," I whispered with a smile.

The music started as the lights faded into a pattern resembling that of a confessional. I had to admit, it was a nice touch. They turned around and stepped into the light, two of them stepping into the background as Tanya started to sing.

"Pay up," I held my hand out, nodding my head toward the short slutty nun costumes.

"Damn it!" Victoria whined.

This kind of wasn't fair as Tanya was the only one who was singing. Her sisters were more like backup dancers than anything else. However, it pained me to admit that their performance was good. If we were not careful, we could lose.

"Go, girls!" Heidi cheered as the curtains started to close.

We were going after the next act, so we stepped out of the auditorium to start getting ready.

"That was actually good," Alice griped. "Damn it!"

"I swear if we lose…" Rose started huffing.

"Silence!" Vic yelled, gaining everyone's attention. "They were great. But you're better. Besides, I settle for nothing less than victory. Now, go get dressed!" she pointed toward the restroom.

I walked into a stall and changed into the short navy blue dress with high black heels.

"I still can't believe Rose got to be Marilyn," Alice shook her head, checking herself in the mirror. She didn't need a short black wig because her hair was already short and black. I expertly placed my wig on and started laughing.

It felt like forever since I'd had a wig on. However, it had only been a week. Now, it felt somewhat foreign to me.

"You'd be cute with black hair," Alice nodded, fixing the wig. "Let's go win," she smiled, putting on her black beret and leaving the bathroom.

"Hey, there," Edward stepped in front of me.

"Yeah," I smiled, putting my arms around his neck to kiss him.

"We meet again," he said bitterly, raking his fingers through the synthetic hair on my head.

"Blame Victoria," I rolled my eyes.

He stared into my eyes, his hands patting the wig for a moment. It was as if he was in deep thought.

"What?" I asked.

"I like it better when you don't wear wigs. I love your real hair," he whispered to me.

"I love that you love my real hair," I smiled at him.

"Don't wear them anymore," he begged softly as his hands rubbed up and down my back. "Please?" he added in his sweetest voice.

_I love you. _

"Hey!" Alice ran from around the corner. I could hear Jane introducing us as I hustled to my spot by Edward's chair.

"We aren't done talking about this," he reminded me, sitting down in his spot.

"Places…places," Victoria checked everything. "Good luck!" she waved as I placed the beret on my head before the curtain rose.

There were three chairs; one up front in the center and two in a row behind the first one. Emmett sat in the front chair with Rose by his side. Edward and Jasper were sitting in the seats in the back row with us next to them.

The light hit Rose first and I saw out of the corner of my eye as she started to sway to Lady Gaga's _Government Hooker_. With her platinum blonde curly wig and white flowing dress, you instantly knew that she was supposed to be Marilyn Monroe. The beat continued, and I felt the light shining on my back as Alice and I started to sway. With our dresses, wigs, and berets, we looked like Monica Lewinski lookalikes.

The song started and I could see Victoria eyeing us from the audience. We danced her choreography to perfection.

During the chorus, the guys said part of the lines in their sexiest, most menacing voices. As they said their parts, they were ghosting their hands down our backs and pulling our hair like they were making us do what they were saying. It was sexy as Hell and even with the limited lighting, I could tell Edward was hard as I danced in up on him. We stepped in front of the guys' chairs and slowly eased them out with our feet. The audience went nuts.

The song stopped and Victoria started jumping up and down in the aisle while the crowd cheered. We took a bow as the curtains closed.

"Finally," I huffed, taking the heels off.

"Yes," Edward shared my sentiment and lifted me up in his arms. "It's over."

"That's the best it ever went!" Rose smiled.

"Put me down," I ordered, kicking my feet. "I have to pee!"

"TMI, babe," he shook his head.

I quickly ran to the bathroom and relieved myself. I noticed a blinking light from my bag and saw that I had a text message.

_**I'm having lunch with the Obamas. Wish me luck!**_

It was my dad, obviously. I couldn't have cared less.

_**Fuck off.**_

I hit the send button and exited the bathroom, pissed off. I walked outside to see Edward in a corner while Tanya was talking to him. I stood back, anxious and a bit curious as to how he would react to her when no one else was around. He nodded his head slowly as she stepped closer and closer in an attempt to close him in. Edward looked over her shoulder and above her head in an attempt not to make eye contact. He looked very uncomfortable.

What were they talking about?

I stared at the two, studying their interaction. Tanya was blatantly hitting on Edward while he seemed…I didn't know how to describe it. He was pinned to the wall and just nodding his head, trying not to look at her. She moved to touch his chest and before my mind could register, I was walking over to them.

"Bella!" Edward shouted, moving Tanya's hand out of the way to come over to me.

"Oh…" Tanya deadpanned, crossing her arms.

"Hey," I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him. His hands grabbed my waist to press me into him as he deepened the exchange, his tongue starting to battle with mine. I took a step back to gaze into his eyes.

They were so beautiful.

_I love you. _

"What?" he whispered.

"Hmm?"

"What did you just say?" he asked softly.

Shit! I'd said it out loud. How could I spin this?

"Um…"

"Whatever," Tanya huffed and I heard the sound of her heels clicking away.

"CHEATERS!" Irina screamed out, running towards us. "You can't have extra people on stage!"

"Since when?" Alice yelled back, standing in her bitch pose.

"For like…ever," Irina explained.

"Yes, they can," Victoria took out the rulebook. "If the extras have a singing part…blah…blah…they can participate!" she pointed to the page. "Ha!"

"You're just mad you didn't think of it," Rose flipped her hair.

"This is such bullshit!" Irina stomped off, her sisters following her.

"Bella?" Edward asked, gaining my attention.

He wanted an explanation.

"Hey!" I heard Jane yell from the entrance to the auditorium, "Everybody come on, we're about to announce the winner."

A distraction…Yes!

"Gotta go," I smiled, walking with the rest of the girls to stand on stage with the other contestants.

"Alright, we have a winner!" Jane grinned, holding the envelope in her hands as a drumroll sounded. Alice gripped my hand so hard I was surprised she didn't break my knuckles. "The winner is…" she paused, "Alice…"

"YES!" Alice started jumping up and down before Jane could finish saying all our names. "Oh, my God!" she started fanning herself.

"Taste the defeat, bitches!" Rose said to Irina and started to dance as two men carried out a gigantic fifty thousand dollar check.

"This is so good," I whispered in Edward's ear, relieved. "I don't think I could've handled them if we'd lost."

"I don't blame you," Edward moved out of the way as someone brought out the gigantic trophy. "I thought Alice was going to have an aneurysm when they lost the last time," he chuckled.

"Who will you all be donating to this year?" Jane asked me.

"St. Jude's Children's Hospital," I quickly recited. I didn't think we had discussed what charity we would donate the money to.

"Fabulous!" Jane started clapping and the crowd followed. "The kids. They did it for the kids," she smiled as we headed off stage.

"Fuck yeah!" Vic ran up to us. "I knew you'd win."

"You know, I was actually scared that we were going to lose for a second," Alice sighed. "I mean, we were good, but you never know."

"It was a little shaky in the middle, but you guys finished strong," Vic complimented. "Now, I'll be taking _that_," Vic smiled, tugging the trophy out of Alice's hands.

"WHAT?!" Alice screeched, trying to get it back. It was no use. She was too short. "Give it back!"

"Nope," Vic shook her head, popping the 'p.' "I didn't help you guys win for my health."

"You didn't say…"

"It was implied," Vic said. "You know how much I like trophies," she turned to me.

"I'm not involved," I raised my hands.

"It's so cool," Vic hugged it to her chest. "It's like a big cup. I'm going to drink margaritas out of it," she grinned.

"Give it back!" Alice cried.

"No!" Vic shrugged the trophy out of her reach.

"Hey, James…"

"Where…?" Vic started and Alice grabbed the coveted object in question out of her shocked hands while she was distracted.

"Ha!" Alice stuck out her tongue. "Gotcha, bitch!" she shouted, running off with the trophy.

"Get back here!" Vic took off, chasing after her.

"Hey," James actually appeared out of thin air. He stopped in his tracks and smelled the air. "Victoria was here," he gathered. "Where did she…?"

"That way…" I pointed in the opposite direction of where she had gone.

"Thanks," he smiled, taking off.

"That was cruel," Edward laughed lightly, "In an awesome way."

"He tortured you," I reminded him. "I'm not helping him with shit."

"I love how loyal you are," he kissed my nose.

_I love you. _

"I have to have my future hubby's back," I winked, hugging him.

"Dad-dy!" Alice whined, walking after her father.

"Mr. Cullen!" Vic gasped, shocked. "Come on!"

"No!" Carlisle shook his head, holding the trophy out of their reach. "If you two can't share, than neither of you can have it!"

"Hmph," the girls whimpered together, crossing their arms.

"This is your fault," Alice blamed.

"This is _your_ fault," Vic countered.

"We should get out of here," Edward suggested to the rest of us. "They're causing a scene."

"I'm cool with that," Emmett agreed. "This suit is binding me." He picked a wedgie to make his point.

"Ew…" we all gagged.

It was an awkward ride home to say the least. Alice and Victoria refused to speak to anyone, still pissed about the trophy. Plus, Edward was acting weird. He kept staring at me. It was like he wanted to say something, but he couldn't in front of everyone.

I was nervous.

"I'm going to bed," Vic spat, stomping toward the stairs.

"Me, too," Alice informed, following suit.

"Stop bitching!" Rose huffed. "It's only nine o'clock."

"I'm not tired," Jasper shrugged.

"Let's do something," Emmett suggested. "Mom and Dad have the kids. Let's go clubbing."

I could go clubbing. I hadn't been since Christmas Eve and I'd had a nice time then. Maybe I could get Edward to dance again.

"That'd be okay," Edward said, looking at me.

"You can get wasted," I tried to tempt Victoria. That was her hobby.

"Well…" my best friend looked around.

"Be ready in thirty minutes," I rolled my eyes.

I did a quick wash up and rifled through my bags for something to wear. I decided on a white shirt with a blue feather tutu and blue and gold heels. I added a chunky gold necklace and bangles to the outfit.

"You look nice," Edward announced coming out of the shower. He had nothing on but a pair of black boxer briefs. He looked nice in them…real nice.

Man, he was hung.

"Uh…" I blatantly stared at his cock, "Thanks," I finally found my voice.

"Then again," he smiled, putting on a pair of jeans, "You always look nice," he winked at me.

He did that on purpose.

"Tease," I flipped him off.

"It's not my fault we've been getting interrupted every time we get close," he replied cheekily, putting on a blue long-sleeved shirt.

I looked at him and smiled. The Edward I'd hit with the door all those months ago wouldn't have dared walk out here in nothing but his underwear. Hell, the Edward from four days ago wouldn't have, either. I feel like he had been changing, _we_ had been changing since we'd been here. I liked it.

I loved it.

I loved him.

"I'm in dire need of a Cosmo," I heard Victoria announce, walking past the door. "I need to have a buzz within the next forty-five minutes or someone is getting hurt," she warned.

"I think everyone knows that won't be a problem," Edward snickered, opening the door.

Once again, we all piled ourselves into Emmett's car and headed over to a club called _Sky_. Apparently, it was awesome and they didn't card you if you were hot.

We walked into the club and it was completely dark with the exception of the strobe lights. You could only see glimpses of the crowd due to the lights flashing so fast. I looked up to see dimly lit chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and what looked to be an expensive VIP area. White leather couches lined the walls and frosted glass barriers stood between the seats and the dance floor. Blue and white lights highlighted the seating area as waitresses in short dresses carried people their drinks.

"I'm home!" I heard Vic sing over the loud noise. "Who wants to buy me a drink?" she shouted, and a handful of guys raised their hands to volunteer.

And it started.

"Stay close to me, okay," Edward said in my ear. "It's really crowded. I don't want to lose you," he grabbed my hand and led us to the dance floor.

"Ooh," I smiled when _Lolli_ _Lolli_ by Three 6 Mafia came on. "I love this song!" I turned around and started dancing on him.

Edward grew more comfortable as we danced and his hands started to roam my body. I ground my ass into him further, noticing his erection poking me.

Mmm.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this," he said in my ear, moving his hips faster.

"And you said you weren't a good dancer," I teased, reaching my hand back to run my fingers through his hair.

"You're so soft," I heard him breathe, tilting my head for him to nuzzle closer. I sighed when I felt his lips kissing along my neck and sucking on the pulse point below my ear.

"You're so hard," I turned around to face him and palmed his cock.

Where was this coming from?

I didn't care. It was awesome.

"Bella," his hips bucked into my hand.

"OMG, James!" I heard Victoria holler across the room.

I looked to my left to see James and Victoria arguing. He was pointing to some random guy who was looking scared as hell.

"You're such a…ugh!" she yelled and stomped off, I guess to find a restroom.

"I'll grab a drink," Edward sighed resigned, shifting himself in his pants and walking to the bar.

"Thanks," I pouted and patted his shoulder.

I made my way through the crowd and found the restroom. I walked in and saw Vic sitting on the sink table, kicking her legs.

"James is stalking me," she said. I was not sure if she sounded amused or scared.

"What's the deal now?" I asked.

"He's so…" she searched for another word, "Psycho."

"He's perfect for you," I joked, leaning on the wall.

"He has no verbal filter. He'll probably fuck anything that moves. Yet, I find myself strangely attracted to him," she whispered. "He's like… a male version of me."

"Which might be why you like him so much," I raised an eyebrow.

"Bitch," she giggled and looked off like she was thinking. "He's sweet, though. Underneath that asshole exterior…waaay beneath it," she leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

"Give him a chance," I shrugged. "What's the worst…?"

"I get my heart broken," she cut me off. "I've never liked a guy like this. I'm frustrated because he's a douche and I _know_ it," she face-palmed herself. "I have every intention of avoiding him…then he chases me…" she listed off. "He catches me and we reward each other with sexual favors…" she added. "It's…I don't know. Now, he's acting all territorial and possessive over me. I'm…confused."

"He feels the same way," I told her. "Talk to him."

"No," she shook her head. "Then, it becomes real."

"What's bad about that? What I feel for Edward is real," I smiled. "It wasn't at first…with everything that was going on, but I love him. If Bella Swan, daughter of Renee' Dwyer and Charlie, is capable of love, you are, too," I chuckled.

"Then why don't you say anything?" she asked. She wasn't being a smartass. She wanted an honest answer.

I was scared.

I'd always considered myself somewhat of a fearless person. I'd never let anything, with the exception of my parents, get me down. With Edward, I was in uncharted territory. I had never loved another person in this capacity. I didn't know how I'd react if he didn't feel the same way.

A wave of girls bombarding the restroom put an end to our conversation. Vic hopped off the counter and walked outside. I needed to go anyway, so I played our conversation over in my head and questioned my feelings as I quickly relieved myself.

Was I the best person to be giving her advice?

My phone chimed in my purse and I picked it up and saw that Edward had sent me a text.

_**Did you fall in? Where are you?**_

I rolled my eyes at his corniness and sent a reply.

_**I'll be right out. **_

I exited the restroom to make my way back to Edward. Just as I entered the main room, my movement came to a stop as I felt a hand grab my arm.

"What?" I asked, turning around.

"Hey," Riley smiled, stepping closer to me.

"Yeah?" I backed up, wiggling my arm out of his hand.

"I haven't seen you around," he made small talk. I could smell the alcohol on his breath. It was slightly revolting.

"I've been busy," I backed up. He grabbed me again.

"You look sexy tonight," his smile widened, his body slanting a little to lean on the wall.

"Where's Tanya?" I asked annoyed, trying to get my arm loose again. "You know…your girlfriend," I said sarcastically, trying to jog his memory.

"Nuh uh…" he shook his head, "Ex-girlfriend. She dumped me…left me stranded here before New Year's," he hissed bitterly. "I'm stuck here until the third."

"Sucks to be you," I said, still trying to wiggle my arm free.

"Hey," his grip tightened as he grabbed my other arm. "Let's talk," he smirked and pulled me back toward the restrooms. I looked at those surrounding us and they were oblivious. They probably thought we were just flirting. The restrooms were in the back of the club. The only things back here were a couple of benches.

I should have left with Victoria.

"Pass," I hissed, trying to get free. It only served to make him tighten his hold even further as he dragged me into a secluded alcove. "You're hurting me," I told him.

"What's so special about you?" he asked, studying my face. "You're all they talked about," his hands moved up and down my arms, never loosening their bruising hold. "You're so fucking hot," he whispered, pulling me closer roughly to sniff my hair.

"Fuck off!"

I gave him a sharp knee in his balls and his hands dropped me. I was able to run a few steps before he grabbed me in his arms again and spun me around, pinning me into the corner. I felt myself being lifted into the air, bringing me face to face with him.

"Don't be like that," he chuckled sinisterly. "What is it, Bella? What's sooo special about you, hmm? I'll bet I know what it is," he smiled as my feet started kicking the air. "I'll bet your one hot fuck."

"Leave me alone!" I struggled, looking to see if there was anyone around. There wasn't.

"Come on," he whispered in my ear, "Tanya told me about how much of a dead lay Edward is. He can't possibly satisfy you."

"Edward is a thousand times the man you'll ever be," I tried to break free. "I'd bet his cock is bigger than yours, too," I hissed.

"We'll see now, won't we…"

"HELP! HELP!" I started shouting, but his hand covered my mouth.

"Shut up!" he hissed in my ear.

"Bella?" I heard Edward's voice. I leaned my head and screamed for him, my sight blurring with tears. "BELLA!" he shouted, tearing Riley away from me. "Get the fuck away from her!" he pushed Riley further away.

"Oh," Riley rolled his eyes, "It's Prince Edward to the rescue," he started laughing.

"I swear to God if you hurt her…"

"What are you going to do about it?" Riley asked, his laughter growing louder as Edward turned to look at me.

"Are you okay?" he asked, checking my face.

"I'm fine," I hugged him. "I'm fine." I kissed his cheek as I felt his arms tightening around me. His hands started to shake while I kept whispering, "I'm fine."

"Pussy," I heard Riley taunt him again.

Edward's eye clenched tight and I heard a fierce growl erupt from his chest. He started to back away from me to go after Riley.

"Edward!" I ran in front of him, "I'm okay." I touched his face, "It's okay."

I heard Edward's breath catch and followed his line of sight to the visible handprints on my arms that were already bruising.

"Walk away," I begged him. I didn't want him fighting. He could get hurt. "Please."

His eyes grew softer and he took my hand and turned around.

"Fine," Riley slurred. "Take your little slut…"

Before I knew it, Edward's fist flew into Riley's nose, sending him sprawling across the floor.

"I'm sorry," Edward looked at me with eyes full of regret. "I should have come sooner. We're going…"

"Edward!" I shouted as I saw Riley sneak up behind him, throwing a sucker punch into his jaw.

Edward was stunned by the sneak attack and Riley hit him again in the stomach, sending Edward to the floor.

"Pussy!" Riley shouted at him, kicking him in the stomach. I reached to grab Riley's arms, only to be shoved back.

"Shit," I panicked, looking around. I saw an abandoned beer bottle by a deserted table. Without thinking, I took the bottle and swung it, hitting Riley in the face hard. He went out like a light.

"Bella…" Edward groaned, turning over.

"What the Hell happened?" I heard James running up to us, pointing to an unconscious Riley on the floor.

"Fuck," Vic looked around, "He's bleeding," she pointed, looking at the open cuts on Riley's cheek that were quickly oozing blood.

"I hope he's dead," I hissed, racking him soundly in the balls.

"People are coming!" James warned, looking behind us.

"Here!" Vic threw me her purse as James helped to pick Edward up off the floor. "I'll get your stuff from the table. You guys need to leave right now before you get charged with assault," she opened the exit door.

Luckily, Edward regained his wits and was able to walk out.

"Are you okay?" I asked, checking him. "Do you need to go to a hospital?"

"No," he winced, touching his jaw. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," he sat down slowly on a bus stop bench. "I've gotten my ass kicked enough to know what a concussion feels like. This ain't it," he groaned.

"He sucker punched you," I spat.

I was so fucking mad.

"It happens."

"You didn't have to do that," I told him. "I was okay."

"No you weren't," he pointed to the purple handprints on my arms.

"Look," I pointed to the ambulance and police cars pulling up to the club. "We should go."

"Where?" he questioned, looking around. "Everything is closed and I don't want to go home with us looking like this."

I looked in Vic's handbag to see what appeared to be a hotel key card for The Four Seasons. She must not have checked out when she went to stay with the Cullen's.

"Here, I guess," I showed him the card.

"Oh," he sighed, touching his face. "It's about a twenty minute walk. You up for it?" he asked before hitting himself in the head. "Of course you're not up for it. We'll take a cab."

"I'm fine," I smiled at him and grabbed his hand.

I gently put my arms around his waist and we began walking. We didn't say a word. We communicated with an occasional kiss…or him smelling my hair…or running his nose along my neck.

I loved him.

We walked through the entrance of the hotel and everyone stared at us. I looked in the mirror and instantly knew why. Edward's jaw was bruised as Hell. My hair resembled a bird's nest, and my arms had purple bruised handprints on them.

"Act natural," I whispered in his ear. "We like it rough," I smiled, walking to the elevator. "I got a little carried away," I joked, placing a peck on Edward's jaw. People just stared at us slack-jawed.

"That wasn't natural," Edward shook his head as the doors closed.

"I know," I shrank into his chest and smelled him. "Do you think they'll call the cops?"

"No clue," he answered, holding me to his chest and resting his chin on the top of my head.

We walked out of the elevator and made it into the room. Neither of us took inventory of our surroundings. At this point, I just needed to rest.

"I'm going to bed," I announced, taking off my shoes.

"I'm right behind you," he agreed, taking off his shirt.

Wow.

I stared at his chest and felt embarrassed for feeling so shocked. I'd seen him like that every day, but it never got old. I took off my skirt, shirt, and jewelry, and then I joined Edward in the bed. He was in his boxers. I looked down at my black lace bra and silk boy shorts and felt self-conscious.

We saw each other like this every day. Why was I nervous now?

"Can I hold you?" Edward asked me, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course," I scooted closer to him. I reveled in the sense of completion that came over me in his embrace. "Mmm," I wiggled slightly, getting comfortable. I found myself wincing as Edward ran his finger down my arm. His face fell and the sad look returned.

"I'm so sorry," he apologized, kissing my arm. "I can't believe I…"

"It wasn't your fault, Edward. Besides, it's not that bad…"

"Look at your arms!" he pointed to the bruises. "If I see him again, I'll kill him."

Why was he trying to take all the blame? He had nothing to do with Riley being an asshole.

"I did a number on him," I told him to make him feel better. "I broke a beer bottle over his face."

"What?" he asked, his lips curling into that perfect smile.

"Yep," I nodded my head with pride. "It'll probably scar."

"Good. That's my girl," he hugged me closer to him. He tilted my chin up to kiss me. We briefly separated and he stared into my eyes. This stare was different. It was…more.

"Thank you for saving me," I kissed him. I briefly wondered what would have happened if Edward hadn't come. I push the thought away with a shudder.

"I couldn't walk away," he whispered to me. "When I saw you pinned to the wall…" he paused, his eyes starting to water, "He _hurt_ you, Bella."

"Edward…"

"He could've said or done anything else to me…but I couldn't…I _wouldn't_ walk away from _that_," a tear fell from his eye down to the pillow.

"Edward," I started tearing up, too.

He cared. He really did. He cared more about me than anyone else I knew.

"I love you, Bella," he whispered, staring at me. His green eyes suddenly became glassy.

He said it.

HE SAID IT!

EDWARD LOVED ME!

I stared into his eyes, suddenly overcome with joy. I stared at him for about thirty seconds until I realized I hadn't said anything back.

"It's okay," he started again. "I know that you…"

I silenced him with my lips, my need for him taking over. I meant to say, "I love you, too," but something else came out.

"Make love to me."

**I'll take cockblocking for 400, Alex. **

**I hope you like this chapter. **

**Outfit pics are on my profile.**

**All the songs from the contest are by Lady Gaga and you can look them up on YouTube.**


	20. Chapter 20

**EMOTIONAL WARFARE**

**Chapter 20**

**EPOV**

"I love you," I whispered before my head had a chance to realize what I had said. Looking at the bruises on Bella's arms, I felt my eyes growing wet at my failure. I should have watched her better. I knew something was wrong when Bella didn't come back from the restroom. I didn't want to crowd her so I'd waited. But I'd waited too long and Riley almost…

I didn't want to think about it.

I should have gone with her back there. I shouldn't have let him touch her. I had failed her.

When I saw that he'd had my Bella pinned to the wall, I'd never been so scared and angry in my life. How dare he touch her? What if I hadn't…?

I couldn't think about it.

I meditated on my inadequacies for a moment until I realized something. Bella hadn't said anything back. She was just staring at me. She didn't feel the same.

How could she? I was weak. I was nerdy. Hell…I couldn't even protect her when she needed me the most.

But I loved her.

"It's okay," I shrugged, looking down. Even if she didn't love me, I still loved her. That seemed to always happen. "I know that you…"

Bella interrupted me with a kiss, stunning me with the familiar electric shock surging through our bodies.

"Make love to me," she whispered, our lips barely separated from the kiss we had just shared.

Huh?

"Huh?" I asked, in disbelief. I must have heard her wrong.

"Make love to me, Edward," she breathed again, running her nose against mine before taking over my mouth with hers once more.

On instinct, I threaded my fingers through her hair, holding her face close to mine as I ravaged her tongue.

"Edward," she moaned and straddled my waist.

"Bella," I said softly, as if her name was a prayer.

She started grinding her hips against my erection in the most tortuous rhythm. She groaned, throwing her head back, reminding me that only two pieces of fabric were separating us. I grabbed her hips, grinding my erection against her in synch with just as much earnest. I was completely lost in her...her smell, her hair, and her sexy voice.

She wanted me.

"Bella…"

She wanted _me_.

"Please," she added, running her hands along my cheeks.

My hands moved from her waist to her back to unhook her bra. Part of me was still in disbelief. Bella…wanted me. Me? I'd thought about this moment countless times and it was about to…

Wait a minute.

"Wait," I stopped, grabbing her face in my hands. "Are you in shock?" I asked.

"Huh?" she asked, obviously confused.

"I read in class that when people experience mental or physical trauma, they go into shock," I recalled. "They might have outbursts, being physical or sexual," I nodded. It seemed like this might likely be the case. I mean she had practically been sexually assaulted an hour and a half ago. "I don't want to take advantage of you," I said softly. That explained why…

"Ouch!" I grabbed my nose. She had tweaked it!

"Really?" she asked incredulously, grabbing her hips and squinting her eyes at me. "I'm throwing myself at you and you think it's because I'm _in shock_?

Shit. Now she was mad at me.

"It just explains how you'd want me," I shrugged, suddenly self- conscious. "I mean, like _that_," I elaborated. She was so beautiful. I was so…nerdy. How could she want me like that? She could have had any man she wanted.

She held my face in her hands and shook her head. She smiled, brushing some hair out of my eyes before saying, "For a smart man, you sure are dense." Slowly, she reached behind her back. "I don't want you because I'm in shock, Edward. I want you because you're you." She pulled me to her and placed a kiss on my lips. As if it were in surround sound, I heard the sound of the hooks of her bra unclasping and the straps slinked off her arms until she threw it over her shoulder.

I'd seen Bella's breasts before, but now? There was a different air between us. It was like everything was loud and silent at the same time. This was…otherworldly. It was as if I was seeing her for the first time. I reached my hand out, suddenly eager and scared to touch her. Surely this perfection couldn't be real. She smirked, taking my hands and placed them on her chest. A twin gasp escaped us as I reveled in how soft her flesh was.

"Bella," I barely spoke before pinching and tweaking one of her perfect nipples between my fingers, taking the other into my mouth.

"Mmm," she moaned, her hand massaging my neck. I felt the peak pucker as I sucked, causing her to hiss in pleasure. I switched my ministrations, slowly turning over to lay Bella on her back.

My mouth found its way back to hers and I felt her small hands toying with the band of my boxers, pulling them down. Breaking our kiss, I moved to kick them the rest of the way off, my cock springing free from its confines.

Bella blushed, nibbling her bottom lip into her mouth. I watched her hand make its way to stroke me.

"No," I grabbed her wrist, raising it above her head with her other hand. "Let me love you," I whispered. I wanted this to be about her. I wanted…needed…her to know that I could be there for her.

"But…" she tried to argue.

"No," I repeated, cutting her off with a kiss. My lips savored her taste, refusing to stop at her mouth. Her lips…her neck…her breasts…her stomach…her navel, I kept going until I reached the Promise Land.

I looked at the black material of her panties, seeing a visible wet spot between her legs. She struggled to rub her legs together to create fiction. I placed my hands on her knees, denying her request.

"These need to go," I said playfully, scooting the silk fabric down Bella legs, leaving her body completely bare for me.

I saw the glistening pink flesh dripping with arousal and immediately felt my erection grow even harder. I didn't know that was possible.

I ran my fingers up and down her slit, my knuckles growing slick with her arousal.

"Edward…oh!" she shrieked and closed her eyes, as one of my digits teased her center. "Oooh…" she ground against my hand as I started massaging her flesh. Her shrieks intensified when I began massaging her clit with my thumb. I watch my fingers slide between her slick folds, covered in her arousal and my mouth started to water.

Ever since I had tasted my fingers after Bella let me touch her the first time, I'd wanted to _taste_ her from the source. I pull my fingers away, causing Bella to grunt in confusion.

"Why'd you…OH!" she cried as I buried my face between her legs and stroked my tongue around her center before sucking her clit into my mouth. Her flavor was better than I ever could have imagined. She tasted like sin and salvation all in one. "Ah…" she moaned, her back arching, her fingers massaging my scalp as I took my time with her.

Lick…

Stroke…

Suck…

Stroke…

"Ed…" she struggled and I could sense her orgasm approaching. I gently nibbled on her taut nub, sending her crying out my name as I quickly lapped up her offering to me.

She grabbed me by the hair, pulling me up and crushing her lips to mine once again. She moaned, "I can taste myself on you," she gasped, blushing.

"You're delicious," I told her, running my hands over her body.

She ran her hands down my back to my ass, squeezing and pushing my hips forward. My cock felt the inviting heat between her thighs.

I couldn't wait any longer.

Pausing to look into her eyes, I placed myself at her entrance. As I began to push my hips forward, I felt Bella's hands suddenly pushing me away.

"Wait," she said quickly.

"What?" I asked nervously. "Are you having second thoughts?" I added, looking for any sign of hesitance.

"No," she shook her head. "I, uh just…" she stammered. "I…I…" she paused again.

She was scared.

"It's okay," I soothed her, running my hand along her jaw. "We don't have to…"

"I'm not on any birth control," she covered her face.

"Oh."

"Do you have a…condom?" she finished, asking with a whisper.

"Yeah," I nodded my head.

"A little ahead of ourselves aren't we?" she raised an eyebrow.

"No," I shook my head, embarrassed. "When my dad bought me those condoms the other day, I put two of them in my wallet so he'd think we'd used some. I didn't think I'd actually _need_ them," I blushed.

This was so embarrassing.

"It's a good thing you pay attention to detail," she smiled, wrapping her arms around me.

I reached around the bed to find my pants and retrieved the foil wrapper, putting one of the condoms on.

"Where were we?" I asked, kissing her neck.

It didn't take long for us to get back to where we had left off. Kissing Bella was easier than breathing air to me. Once again, I found myself at Bella's entrance, pushing my hips forward…

"I'm a virgin," she whispered to me.

Huh?

"Huh?"

I think I'd heard her wrong.

"I-I'm a virgin," she told me again, looking into my eyes.

"What?" I asked.

"I've never had sex before," she said.

"But…you're so beautiful, Bella. You could've had any man you wanted."

"Well…I've never really liked any of the guys I've met. In high school, it seemed like _everyone_ was doing it and I didn't want to do it just because it was the 'it' thing to do," she shrugged. "Then, before I know it, I'm a senior in college who's still a virgin," she bit her lip, circling her finger around the bruise on my jaw. "I hadn't found anyone, until you…that I wanted…like _that_," she finished.

I suddenly felt anxious. She wanted _me_ to be her first. Would I be good enough? Would I ruin it for her?

"Are you sure you want _me_?" I asked. "Don't you want someone…?"

"No," she shook her head. "I've been waiting for _you_, Edward. I want to share this with _you_," she rubbed her thumbs across my cheeks. "I choose _you_. I love _you_," she smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"You love me?" I asked.

"Of course I do," she kissed me.

She loved me?

Bella loved me.

Holy shit.

"Make love to me," she said, her whisper resounding over the entire hotel suite.

"If it hurts too much, tell me and I'll stop," I told her.

"Okay," she nodded her head. I slowly began to push my way inside her.

"Ah," I heard her breath catch as I felt her forehead press into the crook of my shoulder.

Fuck.

I was barely inside of her and I felt everything. She was so…

Soft.

Wet.

Warm.

Tight.

She felt so good, I wondered how in the hell I was going to be able to last any reasonable amount of time inside her.

Inch by inch, I pushed forward as I felt her barrier stretching.

"I love you," I kissed her, pushing forward the rest of the way, causing her barrier to break.

"I love you, too," she gasped, running her hands along my back.

I gave her time to adjust, waiting for her to relax before I began to move.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, struggling to keep control

So…good.

"Mhmm. Give me a minute," she groaned in discomfort. "Kiss me," she sighed. I tilted her chin up and pressed my lips against hers, kissing her softly, coupling her tongue with mine. After what seemed like forever, I felt her hips rolls against mine.

"Shit," I groaned into her neck, beginning to slowly move inside of her.

Perfection.

We started a rhythm, working together. I fought to keep in control. This was her first time. I didn't want to hurt her.

"Bella," I groaned, taking her leg and wrapping it around my waist. I felt myself go inside her deeper than before.

"Edward," she groaned into my ear, pressing her chest against mine. "Ah…!" she shrieked, sounding part in pain and part in pleasure.

"I'm so…"

"No," she dug her nails harder into my shoulder, "Don't stop," she breathed, her hips keeping in tune with mine.

"I'm hurting you…"

"I'm fine," she kissed my neck. "Don't hold back," she whispered.

"B-Bell…" I tried, feeling my orgasm approaching.

"Lose control," she begged. "I can take it. You won't hurt me," she whispered and nibbled on my ear.

I answered her with my hips, increasing the rhythm, grinding into her at every pass.

"B-Bella…" I tried to speak, mesmerized by the sight of her breasts moving with our efforts. My panting increased with the loud sound of the headboard banging the wall. Her eyes clenched shut, her mouth open, gasping for breath.

Just a little while longer...

I needed to see her.

"Bella," I begged, teetering on the brink.

She opened her big brown eyes to my green ones as her back arched and her walls clenched around me as she screamed, triggering my orgasm.

Oh, God.

I'd just made love to Bella.

I had just given Bella an orgasm…during her first time.

Whoa.

Her hands continued travelling up and down my back as my face collapsed into the crook of her neck. Her skin smelled like sweat and our previous efforts.

Bella loved me.

I smiled against her neck, placing a kiss there, running my fingers through her hair until I heard a sniffle.

Was she crying?

"What's wrong?" I looked at her face worried. "Are you okay?"

Fuck. I'd hurt her.

"Yeah," she wiped her eyes. "It's just…I love you," she smiled.

"I love you, too," I turned us over so I could hold her better.

"Wow," she looked at me, "I'm not a virgin anymore."

"No, you're not," I stated the obvious.

"I get it," she blushed.

"Get what?"

"Vic's obsession with sex," she answered. "It's awesome."

"Sex with you is awesome," I smiled, kissing her forehead.

"You're pretty incredible, too," she placed a small kiss on my jaw. "If the whole doctor thing doesn't work out, you'd have a very promising career in porn," she joked.

There she was.

"For a second, I forgot how awkward you were," I laughed at her.

"It makes me interesting," she winked, snuggling into me closer.

Just like that, we went back to being us...Bella, with her carefree attitude and me, with my sense of…well…me. Eventually, we drifted off to sleep, still holding each other.

The sun shining through the curtains hit me directly in the eye. Needless to say, it woke me up. I squinted my eyes and quickly felt the pain and bruising on my eye and jaw from the night before.

Fucking Riley.

I turned over and gazed at Bella. I still couldn't believe that she was really mine.

She loved me.

She loved _me_.

My happiness was short-lived, though, when Bella slid her arm from under her pillow and I got a glimpse of what Riley had done to her.

Last night, she'd attempted to make me feel better by saying that her bruises didn't hurt. Looking at them now, they must have. The color had gone from being slightly blue to a dark purple, almost black color. It also appeared to be swelling. I scooted closer and saw that the bruises were in shape of Riley's hands. I saw red. How dare he mark her with his perversion? Something had to be done about him. I just didn't know what. I wanted to kill him, but I couldn't be with Bella if I was in jail.

I decided to take a shower before realizing that neither Bella nor I had any clean clothes. I figured that the gift shop might have an apparel section so I put on my dirty clothes to go downstairs. I quickly left a note for Bella on the bed, telling her where I had gone so she wouldn't worry. As I was walking down the hallway, I noticed that everyone I passed was looking at me like I was insane. I passed my reflection on a shiny surface and understood why. The whole side of my face was a purple/blue color and the edge of my eye was bruised as well.

Damn. I'd gotten my ass kicked last night.

The sales lady in the gift shop looked uncomfortable by my presence when I asked her where the clothes were. If it didn't hurt to blink, I would have rolled my eyes. After a quick search, I found that there were no reasonable clothes. I needed to find something with sleeves to hide Bella's bruises.

Fucking Riley.

Luckily, there was a Hollister across the street that was open. I entered the dimly-lit store and quickly found a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants for her. I grabbed a pair of jeans and a button-down shirt for myself, and a package of underwear we could share. After I found some shoes, I went to check out.

"Oh, my GOD!" the checkout girl gasped.

I huffed in recognition and pulled out my wallet.

"Like…what happened to your face?" she asked. What did she think had happened?

"I got in a gang fight," I deadpanned, trying to be sarcastic.

"Really?" she asked, leaning over the counter excitedly. She actually seemed more interested. "What are you doing later?" she smiled, twirling her finger in her hair.

I shook my head at this girl's forwardness as I heard my phone vibrating.

_**Bella: Hello, lover. **_

_**Edward: Hello, future trophy wife. **_

_**Bella: Breakfast?**_

_**Edward: Whatever you want. **___

_**Bella: I like how you think.**_

_**Edward: I'll be back in ten minutes. **_

_**Bella: Counting the minutes. Love you!**_

_**Edward: I love you, too.**_

I smiled, sending the reply as the girl was putting my receipt in the bag. I exited the store to another round of accusing looks from those passing me on the street.

"CULLEN!" I heard James calling my name as I entered the doors of the hotel.

Great. This was just what I needed.

"Yes?" I answered with no enthusiasm.

"Dude," he opened his mouth in shock, "Your face!"

"I'm leaving."

"You got owned," he followed me.

"James…"

"You should see _him_, though," he grinned. "Bella got him good. The entire side of his face looks like ground beef," he finished, making a nasty face.

"How bad?" I asked nervous.

Bella could get in trouble. Riley deserved it, but she didn't and I didn't want to see her in trouble.

"No worries," he waved me off, getting into the elevator with me. "Victoria and I lied to the police. I said he fell."

"But…"

"It's two against one," he interrupted. "Are they going to believe two sober bystanders or a drunken asshole with a concussion?" he raised a brow.

I shrugged my shoulders, unconvinced. If Bella fucked up Riley's face as bad as he said she did, she could get into some serious trouble. For all we knew, there could have been security footage. The thought left me feeling unsettled. Yeah, Riley had assaulted Bella. But she'd hit him when Riley and I were fighting.

"She's safe," he tried to reassure me as his phone rang. "I'm fucking coming!" he shouted into the phone. "You're such a cunt," he huffed, shutting the phone.

"Huh?"

"It's Victoria," he rolled his eyes. "I woke up hung over in my hotel room to find Victoria sleeping on my couch. She woke up, kicked me out of the room, and said she wouldn't let me back in without a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit from McDonald's," he complained, holding up a fast food bag. "I didn't even get laid. Bitch," he huffed as the elevator door chimed. "Later," he waved and stepped out of the elevator.

That was weird.

I made it back up to the room and saw Bella's bag on the table. Huh. Victoria must have slipped in and exchanged them while we were sleeping. The light on Bella's phone was flashing, signaling that she had a missed call. Curious, I picked up her phone to see Charlie had called. I knew that Bella was still mad at him. I heard the shower going and got an idea. I knew it was a longshot, but I thought I should at least try. I hit the call button and listened to the dial tone. Just as I was about to hang up, Charlie answered the phone.

"Bella," Bella's father answered. He sounded relieved at the call.

"It's actually Edward," I corrected. I heard an audible huff from the other end. "Don't hang up!" I rushed, praying that he would stay on the line.

"What?" he snapped, short. "I'm busy."

"It's about Bella," I informed.

"What's wrong?" he asked quickly. "Is she hurt?"

"I need to tell you something," I replied.

I spent the next couple of minutes recounting what happened at the club last night to Charlie. I knew Bella would be pissed if she found out that I had told him, but if anyone could keep her from getting in trouble, it was her father.

"Is she in trouble?" he questioned.

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "My friends said that they took care of it with the police, but I'm scared she might get in trouble anyway."

"I'll take care of it," he assured me. "Life is about to get _very_ hard for Riley Biers," he promised.

"Thank you."

"Actually, thank you," he replied, shocking me. "Thanks for protecting her," he said softly. "You'd think her mother would've made sure she took some self-defense classes," he sighed.

"She's going to be my wife. That's my job," I told him. The statement didn't feel like as much of a lie anymore. I loved Bella.

I wanted to marry her…eventually.

"Is she still mad?" he asked, as if he was afraid to hear my answer.

"Yeah."

"She'll get over it."

"I don't know, Charlie," I told him honestly.

"I have to go," he sighed. "I'll deal with this. Don't worry."

"Okay," I said, hanging up.

I put the phone down, feeling better.

I walked into the bedroom and saw the bed sheets from last night balled up on the floor and our clothes folded on the bed.

Hmmm…

Suddenly feeling bold, I walked to the bathroom door and peeked inside. I saw Bella's silhouette through the heavy fog. Tilting her head back to wash out the shampoo, her chest pushed out, jutting her breasts forward and on display.

"You don't have to stand there and stare," I heard her angelic voice playfully tease. "Come on," she beckoned, opening the shower door and waving me forward.

"If you say so…" I smiled, closing the door behind me and stripping.

"I missed you," she stated, standing on her tiptoes to kiss me as I joined her.

"I missed you, too." I grabbed some conditioner for her hair. "People looked at me like I was insane," I shook my head.

"They were looking at you because you're so hot," she ran her hands along my now-wet chest. "Bruises make you look sexy," she kissed over my heart.

"Are you feeling sore?" I asked, massaging her thighs.

"A little," she explained. "Nothing I can't handle."

"I'm sorry…"

She crushed my lips to hers, ending our discussion. We spent the time getting reacquainted with each other's bodies. Even though we'd just started our sexual relationship, I knew I'd never get enough of Bella.

"I love you," I told her, running a towel over her body to dry her.

"I love you, too," she blushed, taking my hand. "I love how we keep saying it," she giggled, jumping on the bed.

We sat naked on the bed and ate breakfast, watching cartoons without interruptions.

"Aww…" she cooed, looking at the shopping bag. "You didn't have to buy me any clothes," she smiled, grabbing a pair of the stripped boxer briefs before putting on the hoodie and sweats. I smiled as she decided to forgo putting her bra back on.

"I wanted to," I told her. "I doubt you wanted to do the walk of shame," I added. "They probably already think we're crazy."

"Good point," she snuggled into my arms, just as a familiar red head barged through the door.

"Hey, guys!" Vic waved, putting her bag on the chair and sitting down across from us.

"Hey," Bella smiled, laying her head on my shoulder.

"Aren't you guys _super_ affectionate," Vic giggled. Bella rolled her eyes. "I'm here to kidnap our lovely Bella," she informed.

"No," Bella defied playfully as I put my arms around her.

"The New Year's Eve ball is tonight. We have no dresses," Vic deadpanned. "I know Bella isn't into fashion, but I think even she knows this qualifies as a fashion emergency."

"We don't have to go," I shrugged my shoulders, smelling Bella's hair.

I wanted to have sex with Bella some more.

"Bullshit. Alice has texted me like ten times already," Victoria informed. "All the girls have hair and nail appointments at some fancy spa at like four o'clock…which means we have limited time," she finished after probably doing some mental math.

"I think I'm good," Bella smiled, wrapping her arms around my waist.

"What?" Bella's friend asked confused. "Am I missing…" she started, but then froze.

She looked at me. Then she looked at Bella. She repeated her actions a few times, thinking. Her eyes sudden got huge and her eyebrows shot up.

"Oh…"

"Victoria…" Bella face-palmed herself.

"My…"

"Please don't…"

"God!" Vic shouted, running to the bedroom. "SEX SHEETS!" she pointed to the bundle of sheets on the floor.

"Vic," Bella started. "You're being so…"

"YAAAAAAAAY!" Vic grabbed Bella's hands and started jumping up and down.

Huh?

"This is uncalled for," Bella huffed, looking at her hyper friend.

"No, it's not," Vic debated, wiping an imaginary tear from her eye. "I didn't think this would ever happen," she clapped her hands.

Huh?

"Vic…"

"Bella lost her V- card...Bella lost her V-card…" Victoria made a song out of the chant and did a dance.

"Huh?"

"You!" Vic walked over to me and gave me a hug. "You made my little Bella a woman," she shook me and kissed my cheek with a loud "MWAH!"

"Okay," Bella grabbed her purse, "We're leaving now."

"How was it?" Vic asked her best friend. "Was it magical? Did it hurt? My first time, I felt like my pussy was on fire. Was…"

"I'll see you later," Bella kissed me, drowning out the sound of Victoria's voice.

"Okay," I sighed, defeated.

"I'll miss you," she smiled, dragging her still-questioning friend out of the room.

"I love you," I waved.

"I love you, too," she giggled and shut the door.

"YOU WHORE!" I heard Victoria giggle from behind the door.

"Shut up already!" Bella replied as their voices grew more and more distant.

I laughed and soon followed them down the hall.

I was in love.

This was awesome.

**I hope it was worth the wait. I HATE writing lemons. I kept looking behind me, afraid someone was going to read it over my shoulder. Awkward! **

**Next, we'll have a little secret uncovering. It's going to be delicious. **


	21. Chapter 21

**EMOTIONAL WARFARE**

**Chapter 21**

**BPOV**

"Aw…" My best friend wrapped her arms around mine and Edward's necks as we walked down the hallway. He was following us to the elevator. "My two sexually-active friends," Vic sighed gently.

"Are you finished yet?" Edward asked blushing. He was enjoying this.

"She's just getting started," I warned him.

"Yeah," Vic beamed. "Edward, I've waited for this moment a _long_ time," she exaggeratedly drawled out the word "long."

"You've just been having sex for a _long_ time," I teased her by doing the same, poking her boob.

It was kind of true. Vic had lost her virginity when she was fourteen…to our teacher.

"Bitch," she raised an eyebrow in return as the elevator dinged.

"Do you have a ride home?" I asked Edward since Emmett had driven us to the club last night.

"I'll call a cab. I'll be fine. Have fun," he waved me off, pushing me into the elevator.

"No boys allowed!" Vic prevented him from coming in after us. "We have things to discuss."

"But…" he pouted as the doors began to close.

I leaned over to shout that I loved him, but the shutting door cut us off, just as Victoria started in again.

"Oh, shit!" Victoria screeched as the elevator started to move. "I'm _so_ proud of you!" she squealed as she wrapped her hands around my face and proceeded to shake me.

She'd been like this since she'd found out.

It was getting annoying.

"Well, of course…" I deadpanned, scooting away from her, "That's why I did it in the first place."

"Stop being all sarcastic and shit," she rolled her eyes. "You _lost your virginity_!" she exaggerated her statement. "This is like…one of the most memorable experiences a woman will ever have," she hugged me tighter. "I saw how blissed out you two were when I came into the room earlier," she wiggled her eyebrows. "So stop being so modest and tell me everything. How was it?"

I fought my blush as I thought about last night. I had been thinking about it almost constantly. To be so unsure of himself; Edward was great in bed…I assumed. It was not like I had any prior experience to compare him to. He was just so…perfect…and huge.

_Enormous_.

He felt _so_ good inside me…

"You're having sex fantasies," Victoria added fuel to her fire. "You're so dick-matized!" she giggled.

"Huh?" I asked confused.

"You know…when you space out because you're thinking about your boyfriend's dick," she explained. "You definitely have a penis-y glow about you," she gushed.

"I guess I do," I admitted, feeling my cheeks turn crimson.

"So…" she fished as the doors opened to the lobby, "Have you sucked his cock yet?"

At that exact moment, it seemed like everyone within a twenty-foot radius heard her and turned to me for my answer. It was as if they were asking, "Well, have you?"

"Uh…" I paused, looking at the silent crowd.

"Awww...boo!" Victoria gave me a thumbs-down and the crowd went back to work.

"Victoria," I warned, motioning to all the people downstairs, "This isn't really appropriate."

"In the history of our friendship, have you ever known me to act _appropriately_?" she scoffed at the word, handing what looked to be a ticket to someone outside.

"No," I answered honestly. "I'd just rather not discuss my dick sucking history with the entire staff of The Four Seasons," I scowled at her.

"You can't have a history if you haven't done anything," she countered. "I must say, though, I'm a little shocked," she ended with a pout.

"Are you serious?" I asked in disbelief. "You were singing my virginity-barren praises less than five minutes ago!" my voice raised a little.

"By the way Edward was grinning when I came in to see you guys, I thought you blew him like your name was Jenna Jameson," she shrugged as a valet pulled up in a black Ferrari. "Thank you," she smiled, handing the driver a fifty dollar bill.

What the…?

"Whose car is this?" I asked, walking around to the driver's side.

She ignored my question and pushed me out of the way of the door. "I'm driving."

"You have a suspended license," I reminded her. "You got a DUI, remember?"

"My license is suspended in Massachusetts, not Connecticut." She squeezed past me and plopped into the driver's seat, leaning over to open my door from the inside. "Get in. We have limited time to get fabulous."

"If we get pulled over…" I warned as I fastened my seatbelt.

"We won't," she confidently stated. "I'm an excellent driver…when I'm sober," she smiled just as James walked past us to get to the hotel entrance. He looked up just in time to see Victoria checking her makeup in the visor mirror.

"What the…?" he yelled seething, stalking over towards the car.

"See you at the ball," Victoria winked at him before speeding off.

Oh shit.

"Get back here, you BITCH!" he shouted after us.

"Is this James' car?" I asked nervously.

"Nice deducing there, Sherlock," she rolled her eyes, putting on her glasses.

"Vic…" I sighed, shaking my head.

"Oh, please," she smirked like she was remembering something dirty, "He _loves_ it when I do shit like this. I blew him a kiss this morning…and he caught it," she giggled, blushing.

"You're blushing," I poked her cheek.

"I know," she sighed. "He's only an asshole in public. He's really so sweet, when he's not acting like a freaking psycho," she grinned.

"You're falling for him," I realized, "Like really falling."

"Yeah," she huffed in defeat. "I'm fighting it, though."

"Don't," I shook my head. "Being in love is pretty…what the fuck!" I shouted, as Vic suddenly swerved over two lanes of traffic and pulled over.

"WHAT?" she screeched. "You LOVE him?"

"Yes," I smiled so hard my cheeks hurt.

It felt so fucking good to say it.

I loved Edward.

Edward loved me.

We were in love.

Tee-hee.

That rhymed a little bit.

"You told him?"

"Yes."

"He said it back?"

"Yes!" I beamed, joining Vic in her celebration.

"Aw…" she put her fists together under her chin. "You two made love. That's so fucking beautiful."

I found my eyes welling up as I nodded my head. "He was so…oh, God…" I gave up trying to explain it. "Perfect doesn't even come close."

"I'm so happy for you," she hugged me. "You deserve somebody sweet like him."

"I just never thought I'd fall in love," I shrugged.

It was true. I'd always thought love and soul mates were stuff of fairytales, meant for naïve children.

"It happens," she smiled, pulling the car back onto the road.

"So…" I started, leaning towards her. "Have you and James…"

"No," she shook her head. Huh? "I know," she huffed. "It's been like a week. I'm afraid my vagina is going to close up on me like a bad piercing. I don't see how you did it."

"He obviously wants to."

"I know, but I'm making him work for it," she smirked as she pulled into a parking lot. "My resolve is dwindling, though. I'm hornier than a rosebush."

"Is that why you're so crabby?" I asked, getting out of the car.

"Most likely," she popped a piece of gum and locked the car. "Okay, back to cock sucking…" she started again.

"I thought we were done with that conversation."

"I'm just saying," she lowered her voice. "Oral sex is important. To both parties…"

"Oh, yeah…"

"Huh?" she stopped walking. "He went down on you?"

Shit. She was so fucking nosy.

"I'm not going to..."

"He did!" she pointed at me. "It was good, too," she nodded her head. "If it was bad, you'd be shouting it from the rooftops. I told you he had good pussy-eating lips."

"Victoria!"

"Just saying…" she shrugged. "Suck his cock with _authority, _girl…"

"STOP IT!" I shouted at her.

"No guy wants a timid-looking girl over his business," she disregarded my mortification. "Since you're a beginner…"

"Oh, God, I said STOP!" I shouted, walking away.

"Don't walk away. I'm trying to help you," she ran after me.

"Then stop!"

"I'm almost done," she continued to follow me. "If you don't stop and listen, I'll start shouting it."

"You're so…"

"OH, MY GOD, BELLA, IT'S JUST A PENIS!" she yelled.

"Shut up!" I hissed at her. "Fine!" I looked around to see who was watching.

"Thank you," she straightened out her clothes. "Like I was saying, you're a beginner, so don't try to get all porn star on your first try," she warned. "You'll gag. I actually barfed. It was embarrassing."

"Thanks for sharing that," I said emotionlessly.

"Next…" she listed off.

For the next ten minutes, Vic gave me a crash course on what she liked to call "blowjob etiquette" as we stood there on the sidewalk.

It was horrifying…and strangely educational.

"Are you finished?" I asked in a low voice.

"Let me see," she tapped her chin. "Oh! Don't forget the balls. _Massage_. Don't jiggle or shake. _Massage_. You don't want them all swinging in your face. It might distract you," she ended. "That's it I guess," she smiled, walking away like we didn't just have an in-depth conversation about sucking cock.

Oh, Victoria…

"Bella, come on!" she waved me forward.

"I can't take much more of this," I slowly followed her into the store.

It was Hell. Three and a half hours of Hell. None of the stores had any dresses we liked that were available. If we liked one, someone else was already wearing it to the ball. If it wasn't registered, it was butt ugly. This didn't stop Victoria from buying at least two thousand dollars' worth of clothing at every store we went into. I hadn't liked anything enough to try it on.

"I give up," I complained, leaning against the door of the car as Vic put her bags into the trunk.

"Never," she shook her head. "We have a few more stores left."

"Humph," I crossed my arms.

We walked a couple of blocks and spotted a cute little boutique on the corner. It seemed to be tucked away from the rest of the street. It was so small that if you were driving, you'd speed right past it.

"Over there," I crossed the street. "It can't hurt."

I stepped into the door and my nose was immediately assaulted with the warm scent of vanilla. I looked around the small studio to see one wall covered ceiling to floor with mirrors. The store seemed to have an old Hollywood feel to it, with silk draperies lining the walls and enormous gold-leafed chairs arranged in the corners of the room. A vintage-looking chandelier hung from the ceiling.

"Cute," Vic sniffed the air, appraising the place, "Must be a new designer."

As predicted, the store was small, only filled with about twelve or so racks. I ran my fingers over silk, lace, gems, and feathers and smiled. My dress was here. I just knew it.

A lady who appeared to be in her thirties approached us. "Hello, ladies. My name is Lisa Hawkins. What can I help you with?"

"We're looking for some gowns to wear to the New Year's Eve Ball this evening," I looked around. "Are there any that are still available?" I asked, hopeful.

"Oh, yes!" she beamed, walking to the back of the store. "I just opened two weeks ago so I missed the big gown rush," she told us disappointedly. "I guess there's always prom," she shrugged her shoulders, showing me the section of the store that had gowns.

"So…all of these are up for grabs?" Vic asked, excited.

"Pretty much," Lisa explained.

"Fuck yeah!" my friend ran to check out the dresses.

I carefully skimmed the racks, searching for the right gown. I wanted to look sexy for Edward.

I loved him.

Tee-hee.

Thirty minutes passed and I found nothing. Pushing through the last of the dresses on the last rack, I came across a black dress. Normally, I didn't wear black because it was too safe. I liked to wear color. But this dress was beautiful and elegant. It had a sweetheart neckline and was made out of the softest material I'd ever felt. I rubbed the dress against my cheek. I took the garment off the rack to inspect it further. It appeared to have excellent tailoring and was very well made. I could see that the seams had been meticulously sewed to fit a woman's body to a tee.

I loved it.

"Yes!" I heard Vic run to me from the dressing room. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" she smiled, twirling in a gown.

It was a lovely emerald green color that went perfectly with her pale skin and fiery red hair. The dress had a variation of a sweetheart neckline, except it had more scalloping detail along the bust line. The neckline plunged into a moderate V-cut in the front. It was purely Victoria. If the V-cut didn't seal the deal, the high slit up the right thigh did.

"Wow," I smiled.

"I know, right?" she beamed, doing a salsa move and spinning in the dress. "It's slutty but classy, and it gives me enough room to really dance. This dress has my personality."

"Would you like to try this on?" Lisa pointed to the black gown in my hands, opening a fitting room.

Once I was in the room, I quickly tried the dress on. It fit me like a glove. Except…

"Shit," I hissed in disappointment.

"What?" Vic asked, opening the door.

"My bruises," I spat, looking at the hand imprints on my arms from last night that were still dark purple.

Fucking Riley.

"Damn," Vic shook her head. "It looks amazing on you, though. Maybe we could put some makeup on them."

"No. You'd still be able to see," I traced the outlines on my arms. I hated the fact that that asshole had _marked_ me with his behavior.

"Oh, sweetie," the saleswoman noticed my problem.

"I know," I pouted. "I guess I'll have to find another one."

"Wait," she stopped me, looking at the zipper on the dress. "I have something," she held up a finger and rushed to the back.

"I swear to God, I'm going to kill that son of a bitch," Vic seethed. "I didn't know it was that bad," she said softly, looking at the bruises.

I couldn't let on how angry and shaken I had been to Edward. I knew he felt bad that he hadn't been there to protect me. He would have internalized it.

"I've got it," Lisa smiled, coming from the back. She was holding what looked like a lace something in her hands. "I just started on another design. It's kind of a black lace overlay. I think I can sew it on here. It has sleeves so it'll cover your bruises," she suggested. The lace was in a very intricate design. It was so well-crafted you couldn't even really tell I had bruises beneath it.

"Really?"

"Hopefully," she answered, helping me step into the overlay. She quickly worked over me, fitting me into the overlay with pins. "Let's see," she turned me around so I could look in the mirror.

Oh. My. God.

"Damn," Vic whispered, touching the lace.

I looked beautiful.

I'd never been one to openly admit that I was beautiful. I'd never thought I was a troll. I just thought it was vain to dote on your own physical appearance. However, I had to admit that I looked stunning in this dress.

The overlay cut across my shoulders, making it seem like more of my cleavage was showing than it really was. The lacework covered my bruises. You couldn't even see them. The overlay fit directly over the dress perfectly. It looked like it was supposed to be this way.

"I'll take it," I smiled, not caring that a pin was poking my back. "It's perfect."

"Can you have the alterations fixed by five thirty?" Vic asked, taking a pic of our dresses with her cell phone.

"Uh…"

"Please," I begged. "You'll have reached Fairy Godmother status," I told her.

"I can't promise anything," she helped me out of my dress, "But I'll try."

We filled out the call slips for our dresses and then went shopping for shoes. Vic gravitated towards a pair of sky-high gold stilettos, while I chose a nice pair of classic black pumps. After that, we grabbed a quick snack and headed back to the shop.

"Here you go," Lisa looked tired, handing us our dress bags. "I might've lost all the feeling in my fingers, but they're done."

"Thank you so much," I kissed her before going into my purse to find my checkbook. "This means so much," I told her as I wrote her a check for twenty thousand dollars.

"WHAT?" she shouted, looking at the piece of paper I'd pushed into her hands.

"She's good for it. Trust me," Vic joked, pulling me out of the shop.

We raced back to the car and hightailed it over to the spa to meet with the rest of the ladies.

"There you are!" Esme cried, running over to hug me. "Alice told me what happened. How are you?" she asked me, concern written on her face.

"I'm fine," I hugged her back. "Edward took care of me," I told her. I saw Vic snicker and I rolled my eyes.

"I saw what that bastard did to my baby's face," she seethed, sitting down. "If I see him, I'll kill him." I saw where Edward got his anger from.

"Are you okay?" Alice and Rose asked in unison.

"Yes," I smiled.

"Welcome, ladies," a woman in a navy suit came out to greet us. "Now that we're all present, here are your robes," she handed us soft cotton robes to put on.

After I showered to get the smell of the day off of me, I joined the others to see Jane had joined us.

"Bella," she smiled, recognizing me. "I heard you went ape shit on that little fucker, Riley. Good for you," she congratulated.

"Well…" I stammered, trying to figure out what to say.

"I can't believe I missed that," Rose shook her head, disappointed in herself.

"So, Bella," Alice smiled slyly, trying to lighten the mood, "Edward seemed…happy when he came home today."

"He did," Rose joined in. "He seemed _very_ happy."

"Oh, God," I started blushing and all the ladies started laughing.

"You should've seen them this morning. They were all in post-coital bliss," Vic teased. "I almost felt guilty disturbing them. Almost. I mean we had to go shopping."

"Bella and Edward, sitting in a tree…" Alice started.

"F-U-C-K-I-N-G…" Rose added on, giggling.

"Esme," I pleaded with her, begging her to intervene.

"First comes love…"

"Esme!" I shouted in shock as the rest of the girls start laughing.

"Then comes marriage…" Alice giggled.

"Then comes you two with a baby carriage," Esme grinned widely. "At least I hope so."

"It took them long enough," Rose smirked.

"What did you guys expect?" I crossed my arms. "We couldn't get twenty minutes alone…"

"It's called payback," Esme giggled. "Edward was the biggest cockblocker when he was a kid," she shook her head. "He had the worst timing."

"Whoa," I gasped, shocked at her answer. "I'm talking about sex…with my boyfriend's mother," I realized.

"Relax," she waved it off. "We're all adults."

"Besides," Vic joined in, "I just know Carlisle pounds pussy like nobody's business," she wiggled her eyebrows.

"Ew…" Alice shivered. "That's my parents you're talking about!"

"What?" Vic asked. "Your parents are hot. I feel like every time I look at you two, there's eye fucking going on," she pointed to Esme.

"I know," Jane started chuckling. "You should've seen them when they first met," she laughed. "I felt like I was intruding. Ten minutes pass, I look around and they're going at it in the corner of the room."

"Jane!" Esme laughed in shock.

"It's true," she shrugged her shoulders. "I like to credit myself for your marriage," she joked. "You should've named a kid after me."

"When are you going to let James catch you?" Rose asked Vic, her tone oozing innuendo.

"Do tell," Jane leaned closer. "That boy is becoming obsessed with you."

I saw Victoria blush before exhaling a long huff.

"I don't know," she sighed. "I like him, but I don't want to be just another hole for his dick," she explained to a chorus of understanding amen's.

"You're right to worry about that," Jane divulged. "I love that boy…but he's a little shit when it comes to the ladies. He gets that from his father," she shook her head. "He really likes you, though."

"Really?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "He keeps reading the texts you send him."

"He's such a psycho," Vic blushed. "But he's so damned hot."

"Remember…stroke a man's cock, you'll get him for a night," Jane started.

"Stroke a man's ego…" Esme added, "You'll get him for life."

"Hello, ladies," I heard Heidi's voice enter the room, followed by her daughters.

Shit.

"Hi," everyone answered, trying to sound civil.

"It was hell getting here," she placed her bag on the chair. "Someone!" she clapped. "I need a martini!"

"Yes, Mrs. Denali," the woman who'd greeted us deadpanned. I could see her trying not to roll her eyes. "Take your robes and shower and it'll be waiting for you."

"Lovely," she passed the robes out to her daughters. "You know what? Let's make it a pitcher of martinis. My treat, ladies," she waved, going towards the showers.

"Goddamn it!" Jane hissed. "Who invited the Denali's?"

"Not me!" we all denied, putting our hands in the air.

"I put it on my Twitter that we'd be here," Alice admitted, squinting her eyes closed in fear.

"Great!"

"Thanks a lot!"

The rest of the afternoon went downhill after that. Heidi kept talking about herself. It ended up with everyone in the room grabbing their iPods and tuning her out.

Before I knew it, we were all primped and pampered. I sat in the lobby, waiting for Vic to pull the car around and sighed when I saw Tanya approaching me.

Yep…she still looked huge.

"So, Bella," she started, "Who are you wearing to the ball?"

"Lisa Hawkins," I shrugged my shoulder.

"Never heard of her."

"You wouldn't," I countered. "She only opened two weeks ago."

"I'm wearing Givenchy," she bragged. "I'm gonna look so hot. It's…"

"Empire waist?" I guessed, poking her gut.

"Whatever," she flicked her blonde hair. "Tell Edward that I look forward to seeing him."

"Okay," I smiled.

At first, I found her obvious agenda annoying. Now, I just found it amusing. Edward loved me…not her.

Ha-ha.

Bitch.

The sound of tires screeching followed by a honk shocked me from my thoughts. I hopped up; ignoring Tanya's scowl as I rushed out and jumped in the car before Vic sped off.

"Ohmygod!" she started talking fast. "You have no idea what I just witnessed," she started giggling.

"What?"

"I had, like, two martinis. Don't worry. I'm sober," she deviated. "Okay. So I have to pee and I go to the bathroom. I'm going out and I see…" Vic started, but was interrupted by her phone.

_It's too big_

_It's too wide_

_It's too strong_

_It won't fit_

_It's too much_

_It's too tough_

_He talks like this…_

"Ugh," she stopped, picking up her phone. "What? I'm busy," she huffed into the phone. "You're such a psycho!" It was James, obviously. "I'll bring it back when I'm ready!" she slammed the phone down. "He's _so_ fucking possessive about his damn car!"

"Well, you technically did steal it," I reminded her.

"You and your technicalities," she rolled her eyes. Her eyebrows shot up in remembrance and she started again. "Where was I?" she asked. "Oh! I walked out and I see Heidi going ape shit on the lady at the front desk. Me…being the nosy bitch I am, went to go spy and see what was going on…"

_It's too big_

_It's too wide_

_It's too strong_

_It won't fit_

_It's too much_

_It's too tough_

_He talks like this_

_Cuz he can back it up_

_He got a big…_

"WHAT?!" she shouted into the phone. "I said I was going to bring it back. Can you not be a psycho for like one minute?...Pssh…Whatever…Bye!" she hung up the phone. "He is so hot," she sighed, looking at her phone. "Yes!" she got back to whatever it was she had been talking about. "You will not believe what I saw," she kept me in suspense, pulling into the Cullen's driveway.

"GET OUT OF MY CAR!" James shouted, getting out of a taxi that was currently parked on the cobblestone driveway.

Shit.

"He's such a drama queen," she rolled her eyes as she got out of the car.

"If there is one scratch," he warned, checking the paintjob for imperfections. "See!" he shouted, pointing to something.

"It's dirt," Vic rolled her eyes, wiping the dirt off with her finger.

"You got her dirty?!" he gasped, half in shock…half in rage.

"Calm down!" she yelled in retaliation. "It's nothing a ShamWow won't fix."

"I can't believe you took my car!" he yelled at her.

"I sucked your dick!" she returned. "The least you can do is let me borrow your car for a couple of hours."

"After you showed me the pictures of what you did to your car?" he countered, like he couldn't believe she'd just said that. "Give me the keys!"

"Ask nicely," she ordered in a gentle voice.

"You're such a bitch."

"Now, I won't give them back," she huffed, putting the keys in her bra.

"You and I both know that I'm not afraid to go in there," he warned her.

She flicked her hair and tried to walk past him.

"No," she turned her back so that it was facing his chest.

"Give them back!" he reached across her trying to grab the keys.

"No."

"Give 'em!" he demanded, trying to stop Vic from moving.

"No."

"Okay, you asked for it," he huffed and started tickling her.

"S-s-top it!" she started laughing. "Th-that's not…f-fair…"

"I don't play fair," he smiled in return, tickling her faster.

"J-J-James!" she struggled for breath.

"I love it when you say my name," he started chuckling, lifting Victoria in the air.

"O-Okay," she gave up. "Here," she took the keys out of her bra.

"Thanks…" he stopped when she yanked them out of his reach again. "Vic…" he warned as she brought them forward tauntingly while walking backwards. "Stop," he warned again, walking forward.

"What are you going to…?" Vic was cut off as James picked her up off the ground again and started kissing her. I could hear it.

Gross.

I got out of the car and bypassed the couple, just as Vic dropped the keys to the ground and James set her on the hood of the car.

"I'm so confused," Carlisle said, shaking his head as the rest of the Cullen's looked on to the enigmatic couple. We closed the door when Victoria wrapped her ankles around James' waist.

"Hopefully, they won't have sex on the lawn," Esme muttered, shuddering.

"We need to be ready to leave at eight o'clock," Alice reminded us. "We should start getting ready."

"Okay," I nodded and headed inside to make my way to Edward's room.

As I stepped in front of his door, I found myself being pulled across the threshold before he shoved the door shut behind me and wrapped me in his arms.

"I missed you so much," Edward whispered against my skin before placing a smoldering kiss on my neck.

Just like that…I was mush.

I loved him.

"I missed you, too," I breathed, running my hands over his chest.

"I kept thinking about you," he said against me, unzipping my hoodie and quickly wrapping his mouth around my nipple.

I loved that.

"Fuck, Edward," I hissed, palming his hardness through his pants. "You make me feel so good," I moaned as his pants and boxers hit the floor.

"Bella," he grunted as I wrapped my hand around him and started pumping him. "Shit," he bucked his hips against me.

"Does that feel good?" I whispered to him with a smile, running my thumb over the tip at each pass.

"Yes," he struggled to get out, "God, yes."

I smiled against his chest. I felt so powerful. In this moment, he was my bitch and I loved it.

"I love making you feel good," I kissed his lips, my other hand moving to massage his balls. "I love you so much," I moaned, watching my hand work over him.

"I love…oh…you, too," he breathed against me. His hands scrambled to pull off my pants.

"No," I bit his lip, "This is for you."

He had made me feel so good last night and didn't ask for anything in return. I wanted…needed…to return the favor.

"I-I-I…" he gasped. "I'm gonna…"

"Yes," I moaned against him. "Mark me," I begged him. "Please."

"Fuck!" he hissed and I felt his warmth shoot across my chest and stomach. "That was…" he tried to catch his breath, "That was…"

"I love you," I smiled at him, running my fingers through his hair before kissing him.

"I love you, too," he said against my lips. "I pictured this going differently," he smiled gently. "I wanted to seduce _you_."

"You did," I kissed his chest. "Everything about you seduces me."

"You're so amazing, Bella. I don't deserve you."

"Yes, you do," I pinched his nipple.

"Ouch!"

"I'm still going to punish you when you talk shit about yourself," I reminded him. "Sleeping with me doesn't get you a free pass."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

I went into the bathroom to wash up. As I was warming the water, something came to my mind that I though Edward would like. Once I was fresh, I walked out to greet him.

"Edward," I got his attention.

"Uh…" he took in my wet naked form for the second time today. "Huh?"

"Can you get ready in another room?" I asked. "I have a surprise for you," I ended suggestively.

"Okay," he smiled, getting his bag.

"You're going to like it," I winked at him.

After he left, I touched up my hair and makeup and finished getting ready. I rifled through my jewelry box to find a simple diamond necklace and some diamond stud earrings. I put on my shoes and gave myself the once-over before grabbing my clutch and opening the door.

It was time.

**I know I promised a secret would be revealed. However, I think it would be better suited to the next chapter. I gave a hint at it earlier. Who better to reveal it than Victoria herself? Yes! Vic will have her own chapter…or at least a portion for her own POV. I haven't decided.**

**Merry Christmas!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey, guys! Sorry for the time away. School has been killer. I'm surprised I have enough time to write now. This is why I've prepared a lengthy chapter for you all. I don't know when I'll be able to update again. Think of it like bears storing up to hibernate for the winter. A lot happens in this chapter so get ready. Dollybigmomma about went blind trying to get through this monster to beta it, so give her some love in your reviews!**

**Anyway…I hope you like it. **

**Chapter 22**

**VICTORIA**

"Wait!" I pulled away to take a breath.

"For what?" James smiled against my neck.

"We're in…" I started, before he cupped my ass, "the yard."

"So?" he quirked a brow. "Let em' watch."

"I'm not going to have sex with you in public," I pushed him off. "I'm not an exhibitionist."

"What?" he shouted, mouth open. "You're leaving me like this?" he motioned to his hard cock.

"You'll live," I rolled my eyes, climbing off the hood of his Ferrari. "Pick me up at eight," I ordered, running my fingers through my hair. "My dress is green."

"Wait a minute," he stepped back, crossing his arms. "How do you know I'm going with you?" he raised an eyebrow, trying to act tough…trying being the key word.

"Because you're a reasonably smart man and deep down…" I inched closer until I was nose to nose with him, "You're scared of pissing me off." I smiled and playfully slapped his cheek before walking away.

I waved at him as he drove away. He was so fucking crazy…and hot.

I walked into the house to see most everyone trying not to look at me. I guess they'd witnessed James' and my PDA-fest. Screw em'. They shouldn't have been looking, anyway.

I dug a wedgie out of my ass and made my way to the kitchen.

"Um…Victoria?" Esme whispered to me.

"Yeah?" I turned to her.

"Here," she pulled my shirt back up to where my bra couldn't be seen.

"Sorry," I blushed.

"It's cool," she brushed it off. "So…you and James?" she giggled, shaking her head.

"Eh…we're just flirting," I rolled my eyes, waving it off. "I'll withhold judgment until after we have sex," I told her, biting an apple.

That shit was important. Don't let anyone tell you different. Sex was important to me. We could be compatible in every other way…but if a guy was bad in bed, I'd dump him like a bad habit. Bella thought I didn't have boyfriends because I felt like I didn't need them. That was true…to a degree. The truth was…I hadn't found a man that could _fully_ satisfy me.

I know. It was sad.

"I can see waiting for that," she nodded her head.

"What can I say?" I shrugged. "I'm honest."

"Thank you for helping Bella and Edward last night," she held my hand. "Edward told us."

"Oh," I smiled at her. I didn't know what it was about Esme, but being around her made me smile. She was fucking awesome.

Plus…she was hot as fuck. I wasn't a lesbian or anything…but I'd eat that.

"It was no big deal," I lied to her, waving it off. "Riley Biers is an asshole and deserved whatever he got and then some."

I'd never seen Bella so shaken up as I had last night. The thought of anyone hurting her made my blood boil. She was so sweet. I wouldn't lie...I got a couple of good kicks and gouges in on him with my stilettos before the cops came.

"Bella's lucky to have a friend like you," Esme smiled, hugging me.

"No," I shook my head, "I'm lucky to have her."

_June 3, 1998_

"_I DON'T WANT TO GO!" I yelled at my mother, stomping my foot. _

"_Victoria," my mother hissed at me, glancing at the other women, "Stop it."_

"_NO!" I stomped again and turned to face the corner. "I hate it here!"_

"_Stop throwing a hissy fit and get in the damn elevator!" She tried to drag me into the elevator and I started fighting. _

"_LET GO!" I wiggled my arms. "I'm not going!"_

"_Yes, you are!" my mother picked me up and carried me into the elevator. _

"_What are you looking at?" I asked a lady shaking her head at me. "Mind you own business, lady," I pointed at her. "This doesn't concern you."_

"_Stop being a little shit!" my mom tugged on my arms to keep me still. That shit hurt._

"_Mother," I growled, "That wasn't very nice."_

_She could be such a cunt sometimes. _

"_You will sit down and shut up," she ordered, standing me in front of her. _

"_I'm telling Grandma that I saw you sucking on daddy's privates!" I threatened her loudly in front of the other lady as the elevator doors opened up. I ran my hands down the floor number buttons until they were all lit up and then ran off the elevator before the door could close. _

_It was true. I saw my mommy doing that. I didn't know why. She said she was kissing him. That was not like any kissing I'd ever seen. I couldn't believe that she could do __**that**__…but I got a spanking for sucking my thumb! How was that fair? _

_Bitch. _

_I hated this place. It smelled like alcohol and nobody looked happy here. I went to the vending machine a got a bag of Doritos and started to explore. There had to be something to do here. _

"_Hi, there!" a woman with short hair came up to me. She was talking to me like I was a kindergartner. I was in the third grade! "What's your name?"_

"_Victoria," I rolled my eyes, eating a chip. "I'm not retarded. You can talk to me like a regular person."_

"_Where's your mom, kid?" the lady put her hands on her hips. _

"_I'd rather she be in Hell…" I started, licking my fingers. "But…she's seeing the doctor."_

"_We have a straggler," she talked into a walkie-talkie. "We're going to put you in the room with the other kids."_

"_Oh, HELL no!" I shrugged my arm away from her. "You're not putting me in a room with those glue eaters!"_

_I hated kids. _

"_She can sit here," a woman with an English accent patted a seat next to her. "I'm sure Mrs. Dwyer won't mind."_

"_Um," the other lady stuttered, "I don't think…"_

"_It's okay," I heard a kid's voice. "I don't care," another little girl about my age peeked at me shyly. _

_She was really pretty with long blonde hair and brown eyes. _

"_O-Okay," the lady sat me down next to the English lady. _

"_My…my," the lady started, "Aren't you a pretty little girl?" she asked, pinching my cheeks. _

"_I know," I smiled, leaning away from her. "Can you not touch me, please?"_

"_Oh, alright," the lady said surprised. _

_The lady switched seats with the girl and started whispering, "Bella, we talked about you being more social."_

"_No," the little girl shook her head, not looking up from her book. _

_She was pretty cool. I didn't like people telling me what to do, either. _

"_My name is Victoria," I said, putting out my hand. _

"_I'm Isabella," she shrugged, shaking my hand. "You can call me Bella, though."_

"_Okay," I smiled. "My mom is getting liposuction again." _

"_My mom is getting a nose job," Bella rolled her eyes. _

"_I have to go use the restroom," the English lady announced. "You two stay here, okay?"_

"_You have a cool nanny," I smiled at her as the nanny walked away. "She sounds like Marry Poppins."_

"_She's lying," Bella giggled. "She's not British. The accent is fake. I heard her talking to someone on the phone last week. I think she's from Brooklyn."_

"_Mary!" a blonde lady started yelling. _

"_Yes, Mrs. Dwyer?" the nanny ran out from the restroom. _

"_What is Bella doing with this…person?" she spat. _

"_She was just…"_

"_Victoria!" mom shouted, running from around the corner. "Where have you been?" _

_Wasn't it obvious?_

"_What did I say about Bella hanging around poor people?" the bitchy blonde lady screeched and grabbed a bottle of hand sanitizer. "She could get scabies!"_

"_Hey!" my mom shouted. _

"_FUCK YOU, LADY!" I shouted at her. "My mommy is a Vanderbilt and my daddy is a Rockefeller!" I stuck my tongue out at her. _

"_Really?" the blonde asked, suddenly impressed. "I'm Renee'," she introduced herself with a smile to my mother. _

I met my best friend that day. Most people looked at Bella and me and wondered how we were friends. We were the exact opposite of each other. She was quiet. I was loud. She was humble. I was obnoxious. Maybe that was why. We balanced each other out.

Bella had been with me through thick and thin. When my parents divorced, when I got my first period, that time when I thought I had herpes (that was a close one). She was the only person who hadn't judged me for being me. I knew her and she knew me.

This was how I knew she was in love before she did. When Bella came home and told me that she was flying to Connecticut to help her nerdy friend, I knew then she was a goner. The Bella I knew would have stabbed any other person who would have made such a request of her.

In short, I tagged along to make sure Bella didn't fuck anything up. I loved my friend…but that girl was an emotional invalid. The only emotion she was good at showing was aggravation and sarcasm. While I loved that about her, I could understand how some people might be put off by it.

"Hey, sweetie," Esme hopped off the barstool in the kitchen to look at Edward.

"Hey," he said in a laid-back demeanor.

Too laid back.

I giggled to myself. Bella probably gave him some sort of sexual favor. This guy had no poker face…at all.

"Humph," Esme huffed, "You should let Alice put some makeup on that bruise," she ran her hands over his face, fussing over the cuts and bruises Riley had left on him.

"Mom," he groaned and tried to shrug his face away.

"No, honey, you look terrible," she looked him over, shaking her head in disgust. "If I ever see that Riley…" she paused, shivering in anger, "I'll kill him for touching my babies," her lip pouted. "I mean it."

"Mama Bear," I nodded in understanding. "I get it."

I'd bet Edward was a total momma's boy when he was a kid. I had a brief vision of a little Edward crying and pointing at a kid that had been harassing him and Esme kissing one of his boo-boos. I would bet he had been tormented mercilessly given his nerdy ways.

I'd also bet James had teased the shit out of Edward.

Ahh…James…that psychotic, sexy asshole. I was a little out of my element on this one. When I met him at my hotel, I just wanted a quick fuck. Yet…somehow he had captivated me. I knew it was weird, but I LOVED this stalking thing he was doing.

I wouldn't admit that willingly to anyone, though.

"I'm not wearing makeup," Edward protested.

"I'm on it," Alice came into the kitchen with a makeup bag.

"Alice," he huffed.

"It's not like I haven't fixed your face before," she rolled her eyes. "I should've taught you to do this yourself anyway," she took out some concealer and pushed him down on the chair.

"It's not…"

"Edward…" Alice cut him off, "Purple doesn't go with your outfit."

"Just give up," Esme patted her son's arm before Edward's shoulders slumped. "That's the spirit."

"Vic," Alice looked at the clock, "We're leaving in like forty-five minutes. You should start getting ready."

"I guess." I walked out the kitchen and made my way to the stairs.

"Victoria," Esme tapped me on the shoulder.

"Hmm?" I stopped.

"I know we've been kind of crazy about Edward and Bella lately," she started.

I laughed slightly. That was how things were mostly. Bella had a magnetic personality. People tended to react when she was in a room. I was the Kelly to her Beyoncé. I was cool with that.

"I just want you to know that even though Bella will be joining the family, we consider you one of our own, too," she smiled.

"Aw…" I waved it off, "Thanks, Esme."

I was not an emotional person. Bella and I had that in common. It was nice that Esme thought that way, but I wasn't about to cry over it.

Did that make me a bitch?

Oh, well…

"You're an honorary Cullen," she raised an eyebrow, "Even if you end up with that asshole, James," she joked.

"That's a longshot," I told her before heading upstairs.

I immediately went to the bathroom and freshened up. James and my car romp had left me feeling a little funky. Once I washed my ass, I fixed my hair, too.

James was such an asshole. He knew I had just gotten my hair done and he'd fucked it up. It was ruined!

I took a curling iron and fixed the parts of my hair that had been crushed by James' hands. Next, I fixed my makeup.

My dress was fuck-awesome. It took a little tailoring here and there, but I was totally in love with it. It was celery green with a high slit up the thigh. I loved showing a little leg. The best part was the awesome cleavage. I'd gotten her to cut a little out of the neckline so it was a bit skanky…yet chic at the same time, leaving the top of the dress somewhat scalloped. Now that I could see it on me, it looked like someone's hands were grabbing my boobs.

Awesome.

I figured I should use double-sided tape, though, just in case.

I carefully put the dress on, trying not to get any makeup on it. After I put on my shoes, I noticed my severe lack of jewelry. Knowing that Bella had a shitload of gold jewelry with her, I went to her room.

"Edward!" she giggled as I heard her running across the room. "I'm not going to let you see your…" she stopped, opening the door.

Hmmm…

"See what, exactly?" I smiled, leaning on the doorframe.

"Uh…" she started blushing, "Nothing."

I grinned. Edward must rock some _serious_ bed skills because Bella had been blushing and smiling sinisterly all day. Let us not mention that shit-eating grin Edward had on his face when he came downstairs earlier.

I believed I might have had a nympho as a best friend.

I gave her a bitch brow and walked into the room.

"Whatever," I huffed. "If you want to slut it up for your man, who am I to judge?" I asked, sitting on the bed.

Wait.

"I'm not sitting on any love stains, am I?" I asked, suddenly grossed out. "Please tell me I'm not going to get pregnant sitting on these sheets."

Bella was my bestie and all…but I would flip my shit if she didn't warn me against any nasty love-stained sheets.

"We didn't make it to the bed," she rolled her eyes, causing me to cheer.

"Standing up?" I guessed. "You're a fucking rock star," I bowed down to her. "You're turning into a real slut and I'm so proud."

I was happy that Bella had found herself a guy. I was even happier that she had found a guy like Edward. He was shy, awkward, and a little geeky but cute and really nice. He was perfect for her. They brought each other out of their respective shells. I would love him forever for that…as a friend, of course.

Plus, he was hung like a fucking donkey. That was always a plus.

"Not everything is about sex," my friend laughed at me, fixing her hair in the mirror.

"Yes, it is," I countered. "I'm just the only one with enough balls to admit it."

You know how they say men thought about sex every fifteen seconds? I wanted to go on record as saying that women thought about sex just as much as men. We were just smart enough to not act like we did and give ourselves away like men. Whoever didn't appear to want to have sex had the power in the relationship.

That was why I hadn't had actual intercourse with James yet. I liked making him squirm.

Also…he was a psycho. It freaked me out…in the best way.

Mmmm…

His cock was so…

"You are such a nympho," Bella teased.

"Says the girl who had sex like five times in a twelve-hour period," I countered.

I couldn't contain myself when I found out Bella had lost her v-card. I mean…the girl was going on twenty-one and was still a virgin. She was hot as fuck. That shit wasn't normal. I knew she was a little emotionally scarred as a result of her upbringing. I just didn't want it to affect her socially. The girl hadn't even had a boyfriend, let alone gone to second base with a guy. It was unsettling. So I might have pushed her a little. It was for her own good.

Yet another reason why I loved Edward.

"What do you want, bitch?" she asked.

"Jewelry," I informed, marching over to the chest of wonders.

Bella had every type of jewelry imaginable in this chest. Most of the pieces were guilt gifts from her father.

Speaking of Charlie…he was hot and everything, but what he did at Bella and Edward's (fake) engagement party was completely inexcusable. As a result, he had been removed from my spank bank.

It was nice while it lasted.

Regardless, I didn't know a woman or gay man that wouldn't kill for her collection. The jewelry in this chest was probably worth at least ten million dollars. She didn't even bring all of what she owned. Bella could complain about her privileged life all she wanted. We both knew that girl loved to sparkle.

I grabbed a gold bracelet, a diamond necklace with a yellow diamond pendant, and some stud earrings.

"Sexy," Bella gave her approval. "Damn, girl. You've got boobies for days," she poked my tit.

"Jealous?" I shimmed in front of her.

All joking aside, Bella looked fucking stunning tonight. The designer had tailored her black lace dress perfectly. It looked like it had been made specifically for her. All eyes would be on my friend tonight. She deserved it.

It was great that she was around people who cared about her.

**EDWARD**

"Alright, everybody, we'll be leaving in ten minutes," Alice sang, moving into the entryway. She had on a light purple gown with the diamond necklace Jasper had gotten her for Christmas. She looked nice.

"Okay," we all replied as the doorbell rang. It was probably the limo drivers. I answered the door to be shocked at who stood before me.

What the…?

"Stop staring at me like that," James shoved me out of the way. "You look retarded," he added, sitting in a chair by the entryway.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Emmett stopped to ask.

"Victoria told me to be here by eight o'clock. She'd castrate me if I was late," he sighed, looking at his phone. "What the hell? It's 8:05!"

"Don't you hate it when they make it a big deal if we're ten minutes late, yet we always have to wait for them to get ready?" Jasper asked, messing with his tie.

"Get over it," dad shrugged, looking himself over in the mirror. "It'll never change."

"I just..." James led off, "really want to get laid tonight. I'm trying to play this right."

O-kay.

"Don't look at me like that," he rolled his eyes at the rest of us. "She wants it just as bad as I do," he smiled, somewhat evilly. "She needs to get her ass down here, though. I don't wait for shit."

"Yet…here you are," dad teased, "Waiting."

"You're whipped just like the rest of us," Emmett smirked at James, causing us to laugh.

I knew I was. Ever since I'd found out about Bella's surprise, I'd wanted to get the ball over with so I could find out what it was.

"What's in that bag?" I asked, noticing a small black gift bag under James' seat.

"Nothing," he yanked the bag out of reach and clutched it to his chest.

"Aw…" Jasper chuckled, "You bought her a gift."

"No," he denied. "It's just a…it's a…little…oh, shut the fuck up!" he gave up, crossing his arms.

"James?" mom asked as she started walking down the stairs. She had on a beautiful cream-colored gown that had pewter accents across the waist. "What a…surprise," she looked confused, before dad spun her around and kissed her.

The other girls followed. I thought James was going to have a coronary when he saw how low-cut Victoria's dress was.

Then, I saw her.

Oh, God.

Her lacy black dress clung to every one of her curves like a second skin. The light from the chandelier made her skin glow as she descended the stairs. She stared into my eyes as she floated towards me. It was as if no one else was in the room. As she neared the bottom of the steps, she smiled. I could tell it wasn't just any smile. It was the kind that slowly spread from ear to ear, the kind that was soon followed by that adorable blush.

It was my smile.

Before her feet were on the landing, I took her into my arms and kissed her. I ran my hands along the smooth lace. If I didn't know how her actual skin felt, I'd think it was the softest material known to man.

But I knew better.

I focused on how soft her lips felt, letting her tongue dance with mine. The sound of childish giggles pulled us back down to Earth. I looked down to see Lexi and Megan chuckling into their hands.

"What's so funny?" I bent down to ask them.

"Nothing," they looked at each other before giggling again.

"You two look funny," Lexi blushed.

"Hey," Bella crossed her arms and pouted.

"You look pretty, Auntie Bella," Megan looked at Bella in awe.

"You look like a princess," Lexi smiled and Megan nodded in agreement.

"Awww," she grinned and hugged them, "Thank you. I don't look half as pretty as you two, though," she tickled their stomachs.

"Well…"

"Maybe a little," they said in unison, holding up their thumbs and forefingers, causing all of us to laugh.

"You two are going to take good care of Snooki, aren't you?" Bella asked, picking the dog up and placed it in Lexi's arms.

"Uh-huh," they both said, nodding their heads in earnest.

"That's good…"

"A corsage!" I heard Victoria screech, interrupting Bella.

We turned around to see Victoria holding a box that contained what I guessed was a…corsage.

He'd gotten her a corsage?

"What do you think this is, Prom?" Vic spat.

"You told me your dress was green!" James defended himself. "I thought you wanted one."

"I'm not a high school kid," she rolled her eyes. "I didn't want you to show up in a stupid-looking suit."

"Then why didn't you say that?" he asked, frustrated.

"I didn't think your mind would automatically go to a CORSAGE!" Vic huffed.

"Fine!" he yanked the box out of her hand and shoved it back in the bag.

"You're taking it back?"

"You said you didn't want it!"

"I didn't say that!" she yelled at him, snatching the bag back. "You can't take back a gift."

"Could have fooled me," he huffed, crossing his arms.

"Don't get pissy because you picked a shitty gift!"

"Okay…okay," Esme stepped in between them. "Victoria, he's trying," she whispered to her.

"But…"

"He's trying," mom said again pointedly and Victoria sighed.

"Thank you," Victoria said to James and kissed his cheek.

"Was that so hard?" he asked, throwing his hands to the heavens. Vic slapped his chest.

"I guess I can put it in my hair or something," she got the orchid out and pinned it in her hair.

"Now that we're done with this scene," Alice stepped in front of the door, "Let's go!" She kissed the kids, grabbed Jasper, and headed out to their limo.

"Crazy kids," Bella chuckled as I opened our limo door for her.

"They're so scary," I shivered.

"Yet…perfect for each other," she smiled, kissing my lips.

I ran my thumb across her chin, marveling at her face. I couldn't believe this gorgeous girl was mine.

"I love you." Her smile went from ear to ear before she molded her lips to mine again.

"I love you, too," I placed a peck on her lips. "You look so beautiful," I told her, scanning my eyes over her body.

"You look so sexy," she moaned, running her hands across my chest. "That suit looks good on you," she whispered in my ear. "Damn good."

Mmmm…

"Does it?" I asked humbly.

"Mhmm," she took my earlobe into her mouth. "I might have to buy you some more," she breathed in my ear, her hand inching down to palm my cock.

"Whatever you want," I breathed against her as her hand started to massage me.

"Whatever I want?" she asked, her lips smiling against the side of my face.

"Yes," I promised her, moving my lips to taste her neck. "Anything you want," I moaned, moving to cup her ass with one hand and moving the top of her dress down with the other. A small portion of cleavage was revealed and I ran my nose down the valley, placing kisses along the way.

"Edward," she choked, tugging on my hair…just as we came to a stop.

Damn it.

Bella must have noticed my pouting because she started smirking.

"You're mean," I pouted at her, resting my chin in her cleavage.

"No, I'm not," she straightened her dress out. "I'll prove it tonight," she winked at me. "You almost ruined your surprise," she blushed. "You and your sexy suit…and those lips…and those eyes," she kissed me.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen," the driver smiled, opening the door.

"Hello," Bella grinned, taking the man's hand and stepping out of the limo.

I felt like my grin had started to crack my face. He'd called her Mrs. Cullen and she didn't correct him. I knew my Bella loved me. But did she feel how I felt about marriage yet? I didn't plan on us getting married right away. I wanted to wait until she graduated first, but I did want to marry her. Were we on the same page?

I stepped out and took her hand, seeing my great-grandmother's ring on Bella's finger and kissed it on instinct. She blushed and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"I love you," I kissed the top of her head.

"I love you, too," she looked up at me smiling. "So, how many business cards do you think I'm going to get tonight?"

"I don't know," I started to think. "I'll wager one hundred fifty."

If people knew the kind of relationship Bella had with her parents, I doubted they'd be tripping over themselves to talk to her.

"Nah," she shook her head, "If we're here for the duration, it'll be at least two hundred."

"It's a bet then," I buried my face in the crook of her neck.

"BELLA!" a man whom I'd never met before marched up to us as we entered the ballroom. "You look gorgeous, dear!"

"Thank you," she squeezed my hand, "Mr.…?"

"Carter," he smiled, placing a white business card in Bella's other hand, "Kevin Carter." Mr. Carter then spent the next ten minutes talking about the new computer software he was working on and how it could benefit Charlie's business. Bella smiled and nodded robotically, but I could tell she was not listening to a word he was saying.

"Thank you, Kevin," I stopped him before he could detail his business plan. "I'll make sure to tell Charlie about it."

"Thanks," he shook our hands and walked off.

"Bella Swan?" I heard another stranger approach.

"Oh, God," Bella muttered through pursed lips.

This went on for at least another hour. Bella and I would think we were in the clear and then someone else would come out and talk to us. Bella had gotten has least fifty business cards already.

It was insane.

"Back up, you vultures," Jane stepped in between us. "Let them eat first."

"Thanks," Bella huffed, hugging Jane.

"Think nothing of it," she waved it off. "This is the largest turnout we've ever had. I figured you were the reason why," she smirked.

"Great…" Bella sighed.

"Sit down and eat," she ushered us to our table. "We're having some lovely…"

"Edward!" Tanya came up to me and hugged me. It felt awkward. "Bella," she deadpanned.

"Tanya," Bella gave a half-assed smile. "You look nice," she complimented. Tanya had on a loose-fitting white gown with black detailing on the bottom.

"Your dress is nice," Tanya smiled back saccharinely, "for something that was bought last minute."

"Yours fits you _so_ nicely," Bella pointed to the flowing draping of Tanya's dress, trying to hide her sarcasm.

"Thanks," Tanya rolled her eyes. "I just wanted to ask the man of the hour if he wanted to dance," she grinned, holding her hand out to me.

I felt Bella squeeze my thigh and I looked at her. Her eye was twitching again. That must have been something she did when she was annoyed because she'd done it when her parents were here. I looked at her eyes to see she was staring at me…expectantly.

"Not now, Tanya," I declined. "I haven't danced with my Bella yet," I nuzzled my face into Bella's mahogany hair.

Not only would it have been awkward to dance with Tanya after the engagement party fiasco, I hadn't danced with Bella yet and she always came first with me.

"Later, then?" she grinned like how she used to when she was trying to be seductive.

"Maybe," Bella answered for me, running her hand over my thigh. "Not," she grumbled as Tanya walked away.

Bella's eyes narrowed in her direction as Tanya made her way to the other side of the room with the rest of her family.

"I really don't like or trust her," Bella told me, resting her head on my chest.

"Aw…" I teased her, rubbing her shoulder, "I wasn't going to dance with her. I'm yours tonight," I whispered in her ear.

I was hers forever.

"That's what I want to hear," she smiled as the waiter moved to serve us our food.

"Oh, my…" my smile faltered when she began to poke the gelatinous thing on her plate. Bella smiled and unfolded her cloth napkin. As she wiped her mouth, she whispered, "What is it?"

"No clue," I answered, cupping my hand over my mouth. Whatever it was, it looked and smelled revolting.

"It looks scary," she whispered back.

"I know," I replied quickly, taking a sip of water.

"Dance with me," she ordered, scooting her chair back. "Come on," she winked, grabbing me by the hand and dragging me onto the dance floor.

She was not fooling me. She just didn't want to eat. I couldn't blame her.

"You're welcome," I raised an eyebrow, spinning her around.

"Thank you," she kissed me. "I really don't want to eat that food. It's pretentious...not to mention gross."

"It's fine," I laughed at her, swaying to the music.

"I beg to differ," she made a funny face at me, shaking her head. At that moment, she looked like a child.

I wondered what kind of kid Bella was. I wondered what kind of children we would have. I hoped they would be a mixture of both of us. I just wanted them to have her eyes. I couldn't see how anyone could look at them and not get lost instantly.

Deep down in my heart, I knew Bella would be a great mother. She'd had the best examples of what NOT to do already. She was so sweet and really good with Lexi and Megan.

"What's going on in there?" she asked, pointing to my head.

Everything.

"Nothing," I shrugged. "I just can't get over how beautiful you look tonight," I kissed her. I rested my chin on the top of her head and gazed across the room. Everyone was staring at us. They were staring at her…but she was staring at me. "I love you," I whispered to her.

"I love you, too," she looked up at me. Her eyes were glassy.

"What's wrong?" I swiped a tear away with my thumb.

"It's just…I've been to so many of these things I've lost count," she sniffled. "This is the first time I've actually felt accepted…whole," she whispered, tilting her head up to kiss me.

"You won't be alone again, Bella," I promised her, "Ever."

"Edward…"

"Excuse me," a short woman with blonde hair tapped Bella on the shoulder.

Bella ran her hand along my jacket lapel before answering, "Yes?"

"I hate to disturb you," the woman started, "but I wanted to give you…"

"It's okay," Bella waved her off, taking the card from the woman.

"Thank you," she smiled and walked away.

"That's number seventy-five," Bella huffed, inching the card up the sleeve of her dress.

Bella was growing more and more frustrated as people continued to interrupt us to further their own agendas. I knew Bella. It was only a matter of time before she snapped.

"Go to the bathroom," I whispered to her.

"Huh?" she asked, taken aback.

"Go to the bathroom," I repeated. "I'll follow you out."

She took a step back and started blushing. "Mr. Cullen…"

"Just go," I chuckled.

"Okay," she let go of my hand and walked through the door.

To pass the time until I could sneak out, I walked back to the table and sat with the other guests.

"Your girl is wonderful," Jane smiled, sipping her third apple martini. "You two are adorable together," she winked.

"Thank you," I nodded as a familiar man in his thirties sat by Jane and kissed her cheek.

"Edward…Enrique," she introduced us, saying the man's name in a Latin accent. "Enrique…Edward," she finished.

Enrique and Jane had been dating for the past ten years. He was probably twenty years younger than Jane. However, whenever I saw her, she always introduced me to him again. She was such a drunk.

"Hello, Enrique. It's nice…"

"You said it wrong," Jane interrupted and shook her head, taking another sip of her drink. "It's…_Enrique_," she said once again in a Latin accent, rolling the "r" in his name.

"_Enrrrique_," I mimicked Jane's sentiment.

"Okay, Jane," Enrique chuckled. "Nice to see you again, Edward," he shook my hand. "Congratulations on your engagement."

"Enrique here is in construction. He designed my new house in LA," she smirked at him, running her fingers through his hair. "Like the rest of this country, I experienced a little Latin explosion of my own in the late '90s," she giggled. "I saw his ass and never looked back."

Oh, God.

"That's lovely," mom smiled awkwardly. "It's always nice to see you again, Enrique."

"Thanks," Enrique smiled, drinking the last of Jane's beverage.

"Honey," Jane patted his hand, "Go get Mama a lemon drop martini," she winked at him.

"Jane," he admonished her.

"Really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll be back," he sighed and got up, heading toward the bar.

"Ahhh…" Jane smiled at his retreating figure, shaking her head, "I'm never going to marry that man."

"Jane!" we all shouted at her.

"What?" she asked just as loud. "When you get divorced three times and have a quarter…of an eighth…of half of your wealth bartered from you in divorce court…it changes you," she paused. "Plus, the one before him tried to kill me."

"That was an accident," mom argued.

"You didn't see his face when I got up from that fall!" she pointed at my mom.

That was my cue. I had to get out of here.

"I have to make a phone call," I announced, rising from the table.

"Sure you do," Jasper waggled his eyebrows.

"Go, Edward!" Emmett mouthed off, doing a small fist pump. Rose smacked his head.

I made my way through the door and wove amongst the small crowd that had formed in the hallway. As I walked through them to look for Bella, people stopped me to talk. Some congratulated me on my engagement. Others congratulated me on my "good fortune" for landing Bella. I shook my head at that. Considering Bella's background, I could imagine some might think I was in it for notoriety or money. They would have been wrong.

Finally, I was left alone to walk in peace. I looked around, searching for Bella.

"Bella," I called out. "Bella?" I called again. Shit. I took out my phone to text her. "Bell…AH!" I shouted when something jumped on my back.

"Oops," she whispered, jumping off. "Sorry," she giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Shit," I started laughing. "You scared me."

"I thought it'd be cute," she blushed. "I'm sorry," she apologized again, pouting.

"Kiss it and make it better," I fake pouted.

"I guess," she sighed, wrapping her arms around my neck.

She grabbed me by the neck, quickly bringing our mouths together. Needing to feel her closer, I held her tightly to my chest. She tangled her fingers through my hair and once again, I was at her mercy.

"Bella," I whispered, my lips moving to her neck. I loved it there. It was so delicate…and soft.

"Mmm," she moaned and I felt the vibration against my lips. "Yes," she said in my ear, leaning against the large wooden door.

"I love you," I smiled against her, raising my hand under her dress.

"I love you, too," she bit my ear, wrapping her leg around mine.

I inched my hand further up her leg, searching for my prize. It was then that I felt something.

Was that a…

No…

She didn't…

"Yeah," she giggled, moving her hand from my hair to open the door behind us.

I couldn't contain the grin that spread across my face as I followed her through the door. I couldn't believe this.

"It smells like smoke in here," Bella wrinkled her nose as I turned on the lights and locked the door behind us.

"It's the man cave," I pointed out, taking her hand. "Normally, there are no girls allowed in here." I put one hand around her waist and used the other to fondle her. "I could get in trouble."

"Well, then," she smiled, dimming the lights slightly, "I guess I should reward you for your bravery," she smirked as she unwrapped my hands from around her.

"That would be kind," I played along, unzipping her dress.

"Wait!" she turned around. "I don't want to fully ruin your surprise," she wagged her finger at me. "Sit down," she pointed to one of the leather recliners in the room.

"But…"

"Sit!" she planted her hands on her hips, ending my debate before it even began.

"Yes, mistress," I joked, taking my jacket off and tossing it aside.

"Mistress?" she said thoughtfully. "I think I might like that," she grinned cheekily, straddling me.

I thought I might, too. The thought of Bella in skin-tight black leather…with a whip…and tall black boots…and fishnet stockings...

Mmmm…

I was getting hard.

"Oh!" she shrieked, grinding on my growing erection. "You like it, too?" she asked, sucking on the pulse point on my neck.

"Very much," I ground against her torturous hips. "Too…long," I struggled to get out as I tried to lift her floor-length dress up.

"I can help you with that," she said, slowly getting up from the chair to stand before me. "Are you ready for your surprise?" she asked as I heard the sound of her zipper.

"Uh huh," I nodded my head up and down like a four-year-old wanting a cookie.

"You seemed to like those pictures so much," she started inching her dress down. "I figured you'd love the real thing," she bit her lip as her dress fell to the floor.

"Uh…" I stammered like an idiot…a lucky idiot.

It was _THE_ lingerie.

The black lingerie.

The ones with the diamonds.

And the garter.

And the stockings.

"So?" she tilted her head to the side, still biting that plump lip between her teeth.

"Uh…" I nodded my head. "Huh."

Say something!

I was speechless.

I had thought the pictures were perfect. How could I possibly have thought a photo could hold a candle to her beauty in person? The way the black silk and lace contrasted against her ivory skin, her toned stomach, her perfect legs, her breasts...I was mesmerized.

I found myself more and more overcome by her perfection with each passing minute.

Best…surprise…ever.

"Uh…"

"I'll take that as a compliment," she giggled, walking over to the bar.

Why was she going to the bar?

I was over here!

Come here!

Cum…

Later…

"Here we go," she smiled, slowly bending over to attend to something.

Once again, I found my mind drawing a blank since all the blood in my body had rushed south as I got a spectacular view of her ass peeking out. If I tilted to the left just a little, I could make out her…

My thoughts were soon interrupted by a hypnotic melody permeating through the room. Her neck arched back as she looked over her shoulder at me.

"Oh, God," I whispered as she started to walk forward.

The dim lighting of the chandelier coupled with the reflection from the diamonds on her lingerie created a glow around her. She looked like an angel.

A sexy angel…sent to torture me.

Bella was in front of me…in that sexy black diamond lingerie…for me.

"Beautiful…" I choked out.

She wanted me.

She loved me.

My legs separated as her foot took a place in my chair between my thighs. The diamond closures on her garter caught my eye, reflecting the light from the low-hanging lights.

"Undress me," she ordered, her brown eyes looking into my soul.

I slowly discarded her shoe, massaging her foot and placing a kiss on her sole. Next, I ran my fingers along the sparkling closure on that leg. The quiet pop it made as it came undone echoed throughout the room. I gently rolled the stocking down her leg. Once I was done, I placed a kiss on her inner thigh.

"Fuck," she threw her head back as my lips followed the path to her apex. "Wait," she pulled away from me. "Finish," she coyly ordered, putting her other leg on the chair.

I repeated my ministrations, undoing her other garter clasp and slinking her panties down her legs.

The sight and smell of her dripping sex brought me back to life, forcing me to pull her into my lap.

"Shit, Bella," I found my voice, yanking her by her hair to kiss her. "I can't believe you're mine," I whispered to her, bringing my hands up to cup her breasts. As my hands ran over the silk, they found the delicate bow in the front. My fingers intertwined themselves underneath the straps and eased the material down her shoulders, leaving her bare-chested before me.

"Ah!" she shrieked as I took one of her nipples between my teeth. I lapped at the bud, enjoying the feeling of it puckering in my mouth. I massaged her other breast, rolling her nipple between my fingers. "Mmmm, Edward."

"Damn," I took a breath, leaning my head to see Bella's face. Her eyes were closed, her hands bracing herself on the chair. The sight of her grinding her hips against mine as her ample breasts shook with every thrust drove me insane.

"Naked," she opened her eyes. "Now!" she added, unbuttoning my shirt and taking off my wife beater.

"Okay," I complied, holding my hands up so she could pull the shirt over my head.

"Mmm," she moaned, starting to kiss my neck. "I love you," she whispered, her lips traveling down my chest. Her body inched down the chair until she was on her knees, unbuckling my belt. I stared with wide eyes as she pulled my pants and boxers down.

"Shit," I closed my eyes as she started stroking my cock. She took her time, finding the perfect pace that drove me crazy.

If she didn't cool it, I was going to cum. I wanted to be inside her when that happened.

"Baby, you've gotta…whoa!" I opened my eyes after she kissed the tip of my cock.

Did she…?

Was she going to…?

But…

"Oh, God," I gasped as she licked me from base to tip.

"Tell me what you like," she whispered softly, taking me into her mouth.

Oh, God.

This was happening.

She slowly began to bob her head up and down, taking more and more of me into her mouth with each pass.

My head fell back with a slight thud. I closed my eyes, afraid that if I opened them, I would cum. Not yet. It felt so good.

"Mhph," I hissed when she started stroking what she couldn't fit into her mouth with her hand.

"Mmm," she moaned around me, increasing her speed.

Not yet…

Not yet…

"Fuck," I gasped, my fingers running through her hair.

"Mmmm," she moaned again as I felt her hollow her cheeks and her other hand started massaging my…

Shit.

"STOP!" I shouted.

I needed her.

"What?" she released me with a pop. "Did I do…?" I stopped her, pulling her back to my lap.

"Fuck," I kissed her, my hands roaming everywhere and nowhere at the same time. I wanted…needed… all of her.

"Please, Edward," she gasped against me. "I need it."

I reached over the arm of the chair to grab my pants. I quickly grabbed a condom from my wallet and rolled it on.

I couldn't wait until we didn't need them anymore.

She hovered over me and then slowly sank down on me, causing us both to cry out in pleasure.

So…fucking…deep.

"You're so deep this way," she breathed into my ear, adjusting to my size.

"Are you still sore?" I asked. I didn't want her to be in pain.

"No," she kissed me. "I'm fine," she moaned and rolled her hips against mine.

"Good," I hissed, rolling my hips to meet hers.

I held her hips, thrusting upwards to meet her movements as she rode me. The languid movements of our tongues matched the rhythm of our thrusts. My hands moved to her back, holding our chests together as we made love. Our noses almost touched our faces were so close together. We moved together, staring into each other's eyes, our mouths agape as we breathed each other's air.

As if we were reading each other's minds, we started moving faster in unison. She was almost there. I could feel it. She moved her face to the crook of my neck. I heard her shrieks and moans echo in my ear as our bodies became slick with sweat. My arms were getting tired, but I didn't care. The sounds she made for me were well worth it.

"Edward," she choked out, "I'm… shit!" She leaned her head back as I felt her contract around me, sending me over the edge with her.

"Uh…" I breathed, my head collapsing between her bosoms.

"You…said it," she giggled.

I looked at her orgasmic glow and couldn't help but smile. She was so gorgeous.

"I love you," I kissed her forehead.

"You make me feel so beautiful," she whispered against my lips as her hands covered mine. "I love you, too."

"It's a miracle we didn't topple this chair over," I chuckled, nuzzling my face between her tits.

"That would've really killed the mood," she giggled. Then, her stomach growled.

"Sounds like you're hungry," I chuckled.

"Shut up," she crossed her arms, taking away my haven. "I haven't had a full meal all day."

"We should go back to the party," I suggested. She shook her head frowning.

"I'm tired of business cards," she pouted. "Plus, they have scary-looking food."

I laughed at her look of dread to face the fancy food, "You and your irrational fears."

"Shut up," she rolled her eyes.

"Sthafron succotasth," I joked, making fun of the duck incident at the park.

"Oh, God," she blushed. "You aren't gonna let that go anytime soon, are you?"

"Never."

"I really am hungry, though," she patted her stomach.

"McDonald's?" I quirked a brow in question.

"Hold the vodka this time," she giggled, getting off me.

We got dressed, ready to make our way to the door, but I stopped and wiped down the chair. No one deserved to sit on a soiled seat. That was disgusting.

I poked my head out the door for a peek to see if the coast was clear. Bella followed me out and we made a dash to the exit door.

"Busted!" Emmett yelled.

"Dusted!" Alice yelled.

"Can't be trusted!" they yelled in unison.

They'd been using that rhyme for the past twenty years. We used it when someone got caught doing something particularly naughty.

"Shut up," I rolled my eyes, grabbing Bella's coat.

"Hey," Alice got my attention, "Have you seen Victoria?"

**VICTORIA**

"Harder!" I shouted, bucking my hips against his.

"Fuck, yes!" he shouted, ramming into me from behind.

"Ah…ah…ah," I panted with each thrust.

"Vicky," he whimpered as the grip on my hips tightened. "Fuck!" he hissed before I felt a sharp sting on my left ass cheek.

"Goddamn it!" I cried out with my orgasm, arching my back in pleasure.

"Shit!" he called out, following me off the brink.

My chest and hands collapsed onto the bed, my legs waiting to regain their strength. I had to give it to him. James could fuck like a porn star.

Halfway to the country club to go to the ball, I got a chance to really notice how hot James looked in a tux. Seriously. My panties were drenched on sight. I had to have him. We didn't make it to the party. Hell…we didn't make it onto the bed. I walked to the mattress and he bent me over the side of it.

It was fucking awesome.

"Happy New Year," I winked at him.

"You have the best pussy ever," he smiled as he caught his breath.

"Thanks," I grinned. "You sling good cock, too," I praised him.

When I first saw James, I knew he'd be a good fuck. I knew it bone deep.

Heehee…bone…deep.

"I'm glad you noticed," he gloated, walking over to put up a window.

"Cocky asshole."

"Indeed," he gestured to his well-endowed dick and opened a drawer to take out a pack of cigarettes. "You smoke?" he asked.

"You smoke after sex?" I raised an eyebrow. "How cliché can you get?"

"I only smoke after _good_ sex," he begged to differ, lying on the bed. "You should feel honored. I rarely meet women who fully satisfy me."

I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. A normal woman would have burned him with his cigarette for that comment. Me? I appreciated his honesty. I felt the same way.

We lay facing opposite ends of the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Shit. This was awkward.

Now what?

I looked at the door, thinking of how I could escape.

It was my thing.

I couldn't take this long-ass silence.

"So…" I led off, twiddling my thumbs.

"I uh…" he started, "I don't know how to do this…" he stammered and my ears perked up. Was he kicking me out? That piece of shit! He couldn't kick me out! I was going to leave first! Asshole. I knew it. All that talk was just to get into my pants. Well…it was fun. I was still pissed, though.

"I'll save you the trouble," I huffed, grabbing my clothes.

"What are you talking about?" he asked confused.

"You want me to leave," I said, rather indignant. "Right?"

"No," he shook his head. "Not yet, anyway," he smiled.

"Ugh," I grabbed my shoes.

"Come on, Vic, stay," he rolled his eyes and patted his side of the bed, making the offer.

"No," I shook my head. "I was gonna go, anyway." I finished gathering my clothes, ready to bolt.

I was not a cuddler. That was not what I did.

"Wow," he took a puff of his cigarette, looking deep in thought, "I've never felt used before. I don't get what you girls are bitching about," he let out a cloud of smoke. "It's awesome."

What?

He was not going to beg me to stay?

What a douchebag!

"You're not going to beg me to stay?" I asked incredulously.

"No," he shook his head. "You said you're leaving. I'm not going to beg you. If that's what you want, go ahead."

"After all of the stalking…and running…you're letting me _walk_ away?" I asked gape-mouthed.

"I asked you to stay," he looked at me then away, "You said no."

"You're supposed to want me to stay."

"I asked you!" he said, looking confused.

"You're so dense," I threw his cigarettes at him.

Why was I so mad? I was the one that wanted to leave. I couldn't put my finger on it…but I was pissed for some reason.

"I asked you to stay!" he said again and swatted the cigarettes out of his way. "If you want to stay…stay!" he shouted. "Don't expect me beg you. I won't do it. Stop playing fucking games!" He pulled back the sheets, "Get in the damn bed, Victoria!" he ordered.

He was so pushy.

"Fine," I dropped my clothes and climbed in.

Once again, we stared at the ceiling in silence.

"I don't know what to do with my hands," he said, motioning his hands over my body. "Where do I put them?"

"I don't know," I shrugged. "I don't cuddle."

"Me, neither," he sighed. "I thought I'd give it a try."

"_He's trying." _

Esme's words from earlier today rang in my head. I guess I could try it. It couldn't hurt.

"Well…" I scooted to his side of the bed and put my head on his chest. That was how they did it in the movies.

"O-kay," he swung his arm up to wrap it around my shoulder. I immediately relaxed. This wasn't so bad

Oh, shit. I was cuddling!

"This is…" I searched for a word, "nice."

"Yeah," he sighed, pulling me closer. "Wanna get high?"

I looked up at him in awe. He just might be per…

Damn!

"I can't," I pouted. "I'm on probation."

Fucking random drug tests…

"Damn," he shook his head. "My mom has some pretty good weed."

"Jane is pretty awesome," I nodded my head.

"She's okay," he chuckled. "She taught me how to bartend when I was in the third grade. Some might question her mother-of-the-year status over that."

Wait a minute…

"This is your mom's house?" I asked.

"It was either here…or the Motel 6 on the side of the road," he raised an eyebrow. "My hotel was too far away."

"Is she gonna be okay with this?"

"Knowing her, she's passed out in the back seat of her Bentley somewhere," he waved it off. "We're cool."

"I feel a little shitty for missing the party," I confessed.

"You're not missing anything," he chuckled, "Except shitty food."

"I was looking forward to your mom and Heidi going at it," I giggled.

"Oh, God, that feud has been going on for years," he rolled his eyes. "Only a few people really know why."

Did I sense juicy gossip?

Yes. Yes, I did.

"Do tell," I smiled, scooting into him closer.

"It's nothing…"

"Then you won't mind telling it."

"It's…"

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," I rested my chin on his abs.

I'd been dying to tell Bella what I saw this afternoon. First, James interrupted me. Then, we had to get ready. Now, she was probably face down in Edward's lap. At least, she'd better be. She would just have to wait until tomorrow to hear what I'd learned.

"Come on," I grinned, poking him.

"Fine," he rolled his eyes. "My mother tends to exaggerate, so you might have to decide what you want to believe."

"On with it!"

"Okay," he huffed. "My mother is originally from Georgia. She comes from cotton money. Fruit of the Loom? Yeah. Our family owns that."

Cha-ching!

Don't look at me like that. I had money, too. I came from Rockefellers and Vanderbilts. That was right, bitches. I came from old money, very old money. Bella didn't tell you that did she. She could be so selfish sometimes!

"Anyway, she moved to Connecticut when she was in high school. That's when she met Heidi…and Carlisle," he paused.

"Carlisle? Were they…?"

"Let me finish," he poked me. "My mom, Carlisle, and Heidi went to the same high school," he continued. "Mom says that Carlisle was the 'it' guy. He was attractive, well-bred, and vastly wealthy. Every girl wanted him…including her and Heidi," he huffed. This was getting good. "My mom admits to being kind of a slut back then. So, she told me that she made it her mission to get Carlisle. The problem was that Heidi wanted him, too. Actually, she said something about Heidi and unrequited love for Carlisle or something," he made a face like he was thinking. "Anyway, Heidi told my mom to back off. My mom told Heidi to fuck off. That's when the feud started."

"Oh," I nodded. "Cool."

"It's not over," he shook his head. "They competed for Carlisle for _years_…all through high school. He never made a play for either of them," he continued. "So, high school ends and my mom gave up. Honestly, she thought Carlisle was gay," he snickered.

Never. Carlisle was as straight as they came. You could see it by how he looked at Esme.

"Summer ended and they entered college," he started again. "Carlisle and mom went to Dartmouth. Then, out of nowhere comes Heidi. The tricky thing is…no one knew Heidi was coming. She was actually accepted to Yale. She was a legacy there. All through high school, she kept talking about Yale. Carlisle was accepted to Yale, too, but he decided to go to Dartmouth at the last minute. The next thing you know, Heidi's at orientation," he shook his head. "Was Heidi _stalking_ Carlisle? I don't know. It really is an odd coincidence, though."

"Creepy," I shivered.

"Mom got over Carlisle…thinking he was gay and all…and they became friends," he said. "Needless to say, Heidi was on the warpath. Mom dared suggest to Heidi that there was a possibility Carlisle didn't love her and she actually _smacked_ my mom," his eyes got big.

"She didn't!" I gasped.

"She did," he confirmed. "That's when the shit _really_ hit the fan. Mom broke Heidi's nose," he started laughing. "That's why she had to get her nose fixed."

"I would've paid good money to see that fight," I smiled.

"So, the two agree to let it go," he continued. "They even pledged the same sorority. Then, came Esme," he smiled. "As you know, Esme was my mom's 'little' in college. Carlisle and Esme met at some party. Anyway, my mom introduced Esme and Carlisle to be friendly…and to piss Heidi off. She didn't think the two would actually go anywhere," he shrugged.

"I guess the joke was on her."

"When they started dating, Heidi got mad at mom. She said that Esme stole Carlisle from her…yada…yada…yada…and she blamed mom for it. When they got engaged, Heidi supposedly went ape-shit and trashed her room at the sorority house," he raised an eyebrow. "You can choose to believe or not to believe that," he shrugged. "Heidi only dated Alec, Carlisle's best friend, in an attempt to make Carlisle jealous," he started laughing. "Carlisle was so clueless!"

"What happened next?" I asked eagerly.

"The police found a bag of cocaine in my mom's car and she was sent off to rehab in England where she met my dad," he sighed.

"Humph," I huffed. "That's a history lesson."

"Although, I have a different theory about what really probably happened between my mom and Heidi," his eyebrows wiggled.

"What?"

"I don't think Heidi ever really wanted Carlisle. I think she wanted Carlisle's _name_," he added. "Ever since I could remember, she's always hung around the Cullen's. Esme tries not to make it obvious, but she hates Heidi. Yet…Heidi and Alec are always around…planning luncheons and parties. She wants to be _associated_ with them," he said.

"That's an interesting theory," I nodded my head.

"Even down to the kids," he shook his head. "Have you noticed all their kids are spaced one year apart, just like the Cullen's kids?" he said. "Emmett…then Irina. Edward…then Tanya. Alice…then Kate," he pointed out. "It's obvious. She couldn't land a Cullen, so she hoped she'd luck out with one of her kids. Problem is…Emmett prefers natural blondes, Alice isn't a lesbian…"

"Edward…" I gasped.

No way. He was their only hope.

"Poor kid," he shook his head. "Tanya played him like a fiddle, all through high school and beyond. She's fucked anything that could provide friction, even though they were supposedly together. I even heard she had a girlfriend on the side," he shrugged. "That's only speculation, though."

"That cunt!" I seethed.

Edward was such a sweetie, and just the thought of anyone being so cruel to someone so kind as Edward made my blood boil. Plus, he was my friend.

"Edward was like silly putty in her hands. It was kind of…it was pathetic, actually," he said. "I don't know why she dumped him. He was the perfect sap. He trailed her like an obedient puppy on a leash."

There was only one reason why a girl would do that. I shook my head in disgust at her…and at a portion of myself. I'd done it plenty of times as well.

"She put him on layaway," I deadpanned, nodding my head, "Definitely."

"Huh?" he looked confused.

"Layaway…It's a system people use. It's like…you want to buy something, but you don't want or need it right away. So, you pay the store to hold the item for you until you can come back for it later."

"I don't see how this translates," he looked at me, his brows furrowed.

"Tanya figured Edward was so wrapped up in her that he'd never think to look at anyone else, so she dumped him, thinking that when she was done whoring it up at Yale, Edward would take her back."

"Oh," he nodded his head. "That's a bitchy thing to do."

"He was going to propose to her the night she dumped him," I told him.

Shit. I was not sure if I was supposed to share that bit of gossip.

"What?" he asked surprised. "No way!" he started laughing. "He dodged a bullet with that one. He has no idea how lucky he really is."

I laughed with him.

"So, what's your big secret?" he asked.

"Oh, mine?" I asked. "Heidi's credit card was rejected at the spa," I shrugged. "It pales in comparison to yours."

I smiled at the memory. It took everything in me not to laugh. I had been hiding and she might have seen me.

"Classic," he chuckled to himself. "We're a bunch of gossip hounds," he kissed my shoulder.

"How do you know so much, anyway?" I asked, curious.

"They live next door," he pointed out his window. "When I was little, I'd use my telescope to spy on the girls changing. Sometimes, I'd see Heidi acting all crazy before the Cullen's showed up there. I put two and two together."

"Perv."

"Bitch," he retorted.

I knew I probably wouldn't see anything, but curiosity got the better of me. I slipped out of bed to peek out the window.

"Hey," he protested, "We're not finished spooning."

"Hold your horses," I waved him off, dragging the telescope in front of the window.

"You're not…" he laughed.

"I am," I said nonchalantly, looking through the lens. "I see nothing."

"You're doing it wrong," I felt his naked body pressed against my back.

Ooh.

Later. I had spying to do.

There was something I loved about spying. I'd thought about being a policewoman when I was little. Then, I found out how much they made. That killed my dream really fast.

"That's better," I thanked him and then shooed him away. I saw something! "Ooh! Ooh!" I waved him back over.

"I regret telling you about the telescope now," he huffed half-heartedly.

"Look!" I pushed him to the lens.

"It looks like they just got back from the ball," he focused the scope. "Alec is drinking…no surprise there," he deadpanned. "Oh…" he squinted, "Heidi and Tanya are arguing…Heidi is tearing into her…"

"Let me see! Let me see!" I jumped, trying to see over his shoulder.

"Ugh. Fine," he moved out of the way.

Heidi was yelling at Tanya really badly. She kept pointing to Tanya's stomach. Alec was drinking. Irina came into the room. The other three of them yelled at her. She stomped off into the other room.

"What's happening?" James asked.

"Heidi's yelling. Alec's drinking. Heidi's pointing at Tanya. Everyone's yelling at Irina…" I continued. "Ooh…Heidi just threw a stack of papers at Tanya's face. Burn!"

"Really?" he pushed me out of the way. "Damn. Tanya is crying. I thought I'd never live long enough to see _that_ happen," he said. "Heidi is shaking Tanya's shoulders."

"Shit!" I snapped my fingers. "I wish we had audio. This is some good stuff."

A sinister smirk came across James' face and his eyes got a little sparkle in them.

"How deep are you willing to go?" he asked, putting his hands together.

"Balls deep," I looked him in the eye. "My nosiness knows no bounds."

What? It was true.

"Here," he went into his drawer, "Put this on." He threw me one of his shirts and a pair of his basketball shorts.

"What?" I asked. "Why?"

"Just do it," he ordered, throwing on a long-sleeved black shirt and some sweatpants.

I put on the clothes and James took me by the hand. We traveled downstairs to the backdoor of the house. He opened the door and led me through his backyard to the well-manicured shrubbery that divided his and the Denali's properties.

"You sure?" he asked. "This is the point of no return."

I was assuming he meant metaphorically. There needed to be a return part of this plan. I couldn't go back to jail.

"Okay," I smiled.

I knew this was trespassing. However, I couldn't deny that this was the most fun I'd had in years.

Phenomenal sex.

Possible good weed.

Great gossip.

Spying on people.

James could sure show a girl a good time.

We eased through the bushes and slowly crept to the window where the action was taking place. We crouched down to keep out of sight. James put his hand to his ear, signaling that we needed to listen carefully.

"Goddamn it, Tanya!" I heard Heidi huff. "I can't believe you're so stupid."

Damn. That was harsh.

"I'm sorry, Mom," Tanya said snidely. "How many fucking times do I have to say that I'm sorry?"

"You had him," she hissed. "You fucking _had_ him!" Heidi repeated. "And what did you do? You threw him away. You threw it all away!"

"How was I supposed to know he'd show up with Charlie and Renee' Dwyer's daughter?" Tanya asked frustrated. "The guy has like…no game."

"She's such a bitch," I whispered to James. He nodded in agreement.

"He was going to propose," Heidi seethed. "I knew it. I fucking knew it! I knew it in my heart he was going to propose," she started. "If you'd just waited another week, you'd have a ring on your finger now, your name on his accounts, and we wouldn't be in this mess!" she shouted.

"Mess?" I asked James. "What mess?"

"I don't know?" he shushed me.

"I thought I'd enjoy a little freedom before I tied myself down."

"Sweetie," Heidi paused, "Thinking isn't your strongpoint," she deadpanned.

I shut my lips so that I couldn't laugh. I saw James' face was getting red, too.

"How was I supposed to know…?"

"That's your problem, honey," Heidi interrupted. "You don't know anything. You never think. Do you know what happens when you think?" she asked. "You sleep with the first douchebag you can find and get pregnant!"

James' hand reached over to cover my mouth so that my gasp couldn't be heard.

This was so much better than I thought.

I knew she was getting fat, apparently for good reason.

"Of all the people you could've gotten knocked up by, did you have to go for some nobody like Riley Biers?" Heidi spat. "Are you sure it's even his?"

"Of course I'm sure, Mother. Besides, Riley isn't that bad," Tanya defended.

"Not that bad?" Heidi asked, laughing humorlessly. "He's going to Yale on a fucking _scholarship_. He can't even afford to go there without _help_," she uttered disgustedly. "You're better than that…at least I thought you were."

James' face screwed up at the insult.

"Mom, it's over," Tanya sighed. "She won't let me near him. And when she's not there, he won't come near me," she shook her head. I knew she had been hitting on him at their (fake) engagement party. "Face it, Mom, we're done," Tanya sighed and turned to leave the room.

"DON'T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME!" Heidi thunderously yelled at her daughter. "It can't be over," she said in an eerily calmer voice. Bitch was cray-cray.

"Mom," Tanya huffed, "Just because you couldn't get Carlisle…"

"IT'S GONE!" Heidi yelled again.

"What's gone?"

"The money!" Heidi said. "It's gone."

"WHAT?!" a third voice who I thought was Irina came into the room. "When did that happen?"

"Your idiot father's wasteful spending on slow horses, fast women, and bad investments have finally come round to bite us on the ass."

"We're poor?" Tanya asked, horrified and disgusted.

"Not yet," Alec sighed, "But we're going to be. We've been put on a tight budget."

"My card was declined today," Heidi admitted.

"We've been keeping up appearances for the past year. With paying the mortgage, the other bills, and our tight budget, we might only last another year or so."

"Can't Carlisle…?"

"I've already gotten all I can there," Alec interrupted. "There's only so much help the Cullen name can give you. It always comes down to credits and debits."

"Shit!"

"Does this mean I can't go to Europe…?"

"Did you not just hear what we said?" Heidi snapped at her daughters.

"Mom…Dad…Oh, God!" Tanya sounded like she was going to gag. "I'm going to have to…wear out-of-season clothes!"

"No, you won't," Heidi promised. "You're going to tell Edward that you still love him."

"Mom…"

"Tell him that you regret what you did. Say that seeing him with Bella makes you regret everything. Say you miss him. He's always fallen for it before."

I shook my head in anger. How could someone toy with other people's lives like that? Edward and Tanya were nothing but pawns to her.

"He loves Bella, Mom," Tanya sighed.

"No, he still loves you," Heidi rushed. The woman was delusional. "You were together for seven years. Love like that doesn't fade away in a matter of months," she ranted, pacing. "Tanya, you have to do whatever you can to get Edward back. Tell him the baby is his. You're not that far along. You can just say the baby was premature when it's born."

Not that far along? She was huge!

"Pssh," Irina started to chuckle, "She looks like she's every bit of six months with that gut she's got there from eating all that fast food."

"Shut up!" Tanya yelled at her sister. "I wouldn't have even known I was pregnant if I hadn't gone for my checkup last week."

"It doesn't change the fact that you look pregnant…because you do since you've gotten so fat," Kate rolled her eyes.

"Stop it!" Heidi screeched. "We need to figure out…"

"She's gonna get huge!" James started laughing.

"What was that?"

"Did you hear that?"

"Who said that?"

I junk-punched James before making a mad dash back to the safer side of the lawn.

"Oh, shit!" I gasped. "I can't believe what we just heard." I was still shaking my head as we walked back upstairs to James' room.

"I can," James smirked. "Heidi's a ruthless bitch."

I couldn't believe someone would whore out their own kids. That was horrible.

I pulled out my phone to call Bella…four times. I got no answer. I texted her…and got no response. She was probably fucking Edward senseless somewhere.

James convinced me to get naked and go back to bed after thirty minutes and a voicemail later.

"So…" James asked, "What do you think Edward is gonna do?"

"Put Tanya out on her ass," I smiled confidently. "He's _so_ in love with Bella, it's insane," I assured him. "Tanya has no chance in Hell," I giggled confidently as I snuggled against him.

I smiled sinisterly to myself. I couldn't wait to tell _everyone_.

"I hope you're right," he said, turning off the lamp.

"James?" I smiled.

"Yeah?"

"Spying made me really horny," I licked his ear.

"Well, then…" he turned the light back on and I rolled on top of him, my friends' drama temporarily put out of my mind.

I woke up to the blinding light of day burning my eyes.

Fuck!

Our late-hour spying expedition had left us a little tired. I rolled around to see that it was already two o'clock in the afternoon.

Jane was nowhere in the house to be found. James assured me that this was normal. She had places all over the city so she didn't have to worry about coming home to get clothes, therefore, we didn't have to worry about wearing clothes.

After another round in the shower with James, I looked at my phone to see I had a text…from Alice.

_**Alice: Mom and Dad's anniversary party starts at 7pm. Don't be late. **_

I looked at the message and decided that I wouldn't get there until after six thirty. I really didn't feel like helping set up. Knowing Alice from the few days I'd been here, I figured that was why she wanted me there so bad.

Better luck next time, Pixie.

I called Bella again, hoping she would finally pick up.

"Yeah," she answered. Was she out of breath?

"It's me," I told her.

"Where are you?" she asked.

"James's house, I need to tell you something."

"O—Edward…stop," she giggled and I heard the sound of her smacking him. "I'm o-o-on the phone," her chuckles grew louder.

This was awkward.

"I'll call you later," I told her, hanging up. "Just…ew."

I was not in the mood to hear my best friend having sex. We were close, but not that close.

If anything, the call left me feeling more confident than ever. I smiled at my friend's happiness. She really did deserve it.

"What color tie?" James asked, holding up a light blue and a black tie.

"Dark blue suit…light blue tie…silver cufflinks…black Armani shoes and socks," I said, picking out the items in his closet as I went along.

"Are you going to pick out my underwear, too?"

"Depends," I said. "Show me what you have."

Once I decided on the dark navy boxer briefs, I gathered my clothes and James drove us to the Cullen's.

"There you are!" Alice growled at me. "It's after six thirty! Where were you?"

"Having multiple rounds of hot sex with James," I answered her honestly.

"Go upstairs and get changed," she said scowling.

"On my way, Captain," I saluted her.

"You," she pointed to James, "I need you to go out back and check on the florist. The arrangements need to be color coordinated to the place settings."

"How am I supposed to know that?" he asked.

"Trust me," she quirked a bitch brow at him, "You'll know."

I laughed at his face before he went back into the house.

I'd been bursting at the seams with the juicy information I'd gotten since I'd heard it. Although I wanted to tell everyone who would listen, Bella needed to know first. She might have wanted to handle it differently.

"Bella," I knocked on her door.

"Huh?" Edward asked, his head peeking out of the door.

"Is Bella in there?" I asked, bouncing on my heels.

"N-no," he shook his head. "She-she's not in here," he said, smoothing his hair out.

"Okay," I shrugged, walking to my room. Boy was acting a little weird.

Alice had probably roped her into helping set up. I didn't get it. The Cullen's had a lot of money. Why didn't they just hire people to set up?

I only had twenty minutes to get ready. Luckily, my hair had dried naturally curly so I didn't have to style it. I rifled through my luggage and found this cute burgundy and tan dress. I paired it with a pair of burgundy Louboutin heels and a tan bag. I put on some lip gloss, blush and mascara. I looked in the mirror and I was pleased. It was not my best work, but I was still a sexy bitch.

Walking out of my room, I saw Bella.

"Hey, Bella," I ran to her. "Cool outfit."

"Thanks," she cracked a small smile.

She had on this adorable two-piece dress. The top was a long-sleeved sweater top with black and white horizontal stripes. The bottom was this '50s-style poodle skirt. She had paired it with black and white shoes that had a red rose on them.

"You won't believe what I heard last night…or saw for that matter. The De…"

"I have to go help Alice," she pointed toward the back. "You can tell me later. Okay?"

"It's good, I promise…" I begged her.

"Victoria," she stopped me, "It can wait."

"Hi, Ms. Vicky," Lexi…or Megan…smiled at me. I couldn't tell them apart. All children looked alike to me.

They were cute kids, though.

Snooki came running and jumped into my arms.

"Hey, girl," I said to her. "I'm going to out a gold-digging whore at dinner," I said to her in a baby voice. "Yes, I sure am. Oh, yes, I am," I nuzzled my face to hers.

"Vicky," Alice came into the kitchen to find me, "Dinner is starting."

"Okay," I followed her.

I walked outside and I was in awe. The room was filled with red ambient lighting, with small twinkling lights everywhere. It was very Shakespearean. Black and white photos of Carlisle and Esme through the years lined the walls. There were photos of them in college, their wedding day, and with their children. It was very sweet.

Red, white, and black seemed to be the theme of the party. The dinner table was a deep metallic red with ornate legs. A black table runner ran down the center of the table, creating a nice contrast. The table was filled with red and white flowers arranged in black vases. There was even a blossoming cherry branch arrangement in the middle of the table. You wouldn't expect it to match, but it did.

There weren't that many people here. You had the Cullen's, of course, plus Bella, me, James, Jane, her boyfriend (I guess), and the Denali's. Plus, there was that nosy old lady and her husband from the paper. They had been at the luncheon. I think.

I needed to stop drinking. I couldn't remember anything.

I walked over to where my seating card was, between Bella and James.

Bella sat down next to me with a loud thud. She turned around mechanically and stared at her plate.

"Bella?" I asked, nudging her. "Bella…"

Nothing.

"Bella, what's…?"

The clinking of a fork against a glass silenced everyone. Carlisle took the time to stand up and make a speech.

"Twenty-six years ago, I became whole," Carlisle held up his hand with his ring, staring at Esme with such pride. "I was just twenty-two years old…a mere child when we first met," he smiled at his wife. "But Esme, the first time I looked in your eyes, I knew I saw an angel…and it wasn't just because of your costume," he joked. Jane laughed out loud. "Esme, you're my everything. You've given me a home. You've given me children. You make life worth living. You give me purpose. I've loved you for twenty-eight years all told, and I don't see that stopping anytime soon," he bent down to kiss her. "I love you, my heart," he smiled against her lips.

I was not one for sappy speeches…but that shit was touching.

I couldn't help it. I started a slow clap.

I looked over at Bella to see her fuming to herself. She took a large gulp of her champagne as Alice stood to make her speech.

"Growing up, I was always surrounded by…"

The sharp sound of a chair scraping against the floor followed by a loud thud drew everyone's attention.

"I'm sorry," Bella's smile faded, "I can't do this." She threw her napkin on the table and stepped over the fallen chair.

"Bella?" Edward asked, looking confused, "What…?"

He was interrupted by the sound of a thunderous smack on his cheek.

Shit.

He didn't...

I looked on, frozen in my chair and prayed that what I feared hadn't happened.

"FUCK YOU, EDWARD!" she yelled, jerking off her engagement ring and throwing it in his face. "I can't believe I trusted you…that I trusted _anybody_!" she cried, moving past him.

"Bella…" he ran after her, grabbing her arm.

"I saw you with her!" she yanked her arm back.

"Bella…" he started crying.

"How could you?" she asked, tears welling up in her big beautiful brown eyes. "You don't even respect me enough to deny it," she laughed bitterly, pushing him away and running for the door.

"Bella, no!" he ran after her. "It's not what you think," he shook his head, putting his arms around her waist so she couldn't run any further, her back turned to him.

"After everything?" she cried. "EVERYTHING!" she screamed again, twisting and pulling from him to get free. "Let me go!" she yelled. "Edward, let me go!" her screams turned into sobs.

"No," he shook his head crying, "Let me explain. I didn't want…"

"Let her go," I found my voice, getting up from my chair.

I looked to see that everyone else in the room had been stunned silent and motionless by what was happening in front of them. I wasn't. Bella needed me.

"Bella, please," he started crying as I tried to pry her from his arms.

"Edward, let her go," I attempted to tug her free. "You're hurting her," I whimpered.

I was not an emotional bitch, but this…

Bella was such a good person. In spite of everything she'd been through, she'd still come out of it all a good person. No one deserved this.

"What happened?"

"Edward, what did you do?"

"What the Hell?"

The Cullen's were all shouting questions at Edward. Fuck him. Apparently, he'd been week and done the unthinkable and I was not telling him shit now. He deserved whatever he got for being so stupid and hurting my friend.

"Let me…" Bella suddenly stopped fighting.

I finally tugged her free, partly because she had stopped moving. It was easier for me to get her free when it was just two people fighting.

"Bella," I said to her. I got no answer. "Bella…" I said again as she went limp in my arms.

I moved her hair out of her face to find that her eyes, cheeks, and lips were swollen. She was unconscious.

She also wasn't breathing.

**So…what's the prognosis? I find reviews energizing…inspirational even. How did y'all like the VPOV?**


	23. Chapter 23

**EMOTIONAL WARFARE**

**So…**

**Chapter 23**

**EDWARD**

"Bella?" Victoria gasped, putting her ear to Bella's chest. "She's not breathing!"

"Oh, God!" I cried, rushing forward.

Bella's eyes and face were swollen. Her lips appeared to have exploded to twice their normal size.

"Don't touch her!" Victoria shoved me away. "You've done enough!"

"Victoria," I moved around her and begged, "Let me help."

My chest tightened at Victoria's sudden hatred of me. But nothing would ever hurt me more than the look on Bella's face as she'd thrown my grandmother's ring at me.

She thought I had betrayed her. I would never have done that, not in a million years. Not for Tanya. Not for anybody.

I would save the story for later. I would cry later. Right now, I had to save Bella. Right now, I needed to be strong.

That was what Bella would do.

"Edward," mom came into the hallway, "What's going…Carlisle!" she screamed for dad, once she took in Bella's condition.

"Let me..." I paused, looking at Bella from behind Victoria's protective stance. "BELLA!"

"Bella? Oh, my GOD!"

"What the fuck happened? Damn!"

"Shit!"

"Auntie Bella!"

Everyone was shouting in horror, taking in Bella's rapidly deteriorating condition. Her face and hands were beginning to swell, and the slits of her eyes were no longer visible, swollen completely shut. Her shallow gasps of breath shocked me out of my reverie. Suddenly, the cause was clear.

"SHE'S GOING INTO ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK!" I shouted, turning Bella's body to help open her airway passage. "Call an ambulance!" I ordered Victoria. "Someone, get me a blanket!"

In a section of class, I had read about allergies and anaphylaxis. Swelling. Shallow breathing. The hives rapidly breaking out across her beautiful porcelain skin acted as a final indicator. I grabbed a nearby chair, placing Bella's feet up in it, the standard position to treat shock. It would aid blood flow throughout her body. Lexi ran to the nearest bedroom, returning quickly to hand me a fleece blanket. I placed it over the lower half of her body and waited for the ambulance to come.

"Is she breathing?" Vic asked from the phone.

I listened to her chest. "It's shallow," I informed and heard her relay the information to the operator.

"Did Bella bring an epi pen?" I asked. In cases of shock, an emergency dose of epinephrine was used to help combat the reaction.

"No," Vic shook her head, tears falling out of her eyes.

Why didn't she have an epi pen? I shook my head, a rogue tear falling from my eyes. Damn it, Bella. She thought she was invincible. She wouldn't carry an epi pen because she never thought she would put herself in a position to need one. I could just hear her argument now.

_Why do I need an epi pen? I'm not stupid enough to eat nuts. I won't need one. _

She had a fucking severe allergy. She should have had one. I should have gotten her one.

Wait a minute…

"WHO THE HELL HAD NUTS IN HERE?" I shouted at the onlookers.

Bella hadn't had anything to eat all day. Alice had forced everyone to help set up for mom and dad's anniversary. Something didn't add up.

Before anyone could answer my question, the doorbell rang. Alice ran to open the door, and a team of paramedics rushed through to where we were.

I struggled to fight back tears, as I saw the love of my life being lifted on to a gurney and rolled out to an ambulance, the paramedics working on her the whole time.

"I'll ride with her," Victoria stepped in front of me, trying to jump in the ambulance.

"No, you're not," I huffed.

I understood that Vic was Bella's best friend, but her fighting me over everything was getting annoying. I needed to be with Bella. She needed me. It was an odd occurrence when she actually needed me. She'd been my savior all this time. Right now, she needed me, and I would be there.

I would always be there.

"Yes, I…"

"Fuck off, Victoria!" I growled, jumping into the ambulance.

"Fuck you!" she retorted, the ice in her voice chilling my bones. "You deserve what you get!" she seethed, as the doors to the ambulance closed.

"Huh?" I questioned, as we started to move.

What the Hell did that mean?

"Bella," I whispered by her ear, praying that she could hear me, "It's going to be okay," I kissed her forehead. "I'm here. I love you," I sniffled, kissing her swollen hand.

"Sir," one of the paramedics interrupted me, "We need you to move…"

The loud sound of the alarm going off on the heart monitor they had strapped to Bella made me jump.

"Bella!" I shouted, trying to move the medic out of the way, only to see Bella's body shaking and jerking violently.

In that moment, the medic's placating words were drowned out by the sounds of Bella's body hitting the bed over and over again as she seized.

"She's having a seizure," the female medic stated the obvious, holding Bella down.

"HELP HER!" I cried out, trying to get to her. "BELLA!"

"Sir," the first medic held me at bay with one of his hands, while giving another medic supplies with the other, "We need you to stay calm," he commanded, putting something in her mouth, I was guessing it was to keep her from biting her tongue off.

"We're here," a third medic announced, opening the door to the ambulance and easing Bella out.

"Edward!" Emmett shouted from the hospital entrance.

I gave him a look of acknowledgement, running with the gurney.

"Mr. Cullen," an older man with graying hair ran up to me. I saw a group of doctors behind him, running to the gurney, and they wheeled Bella down the hall. "We have it from here, Sir. We'll take care of her."

"I need to be back there," I sobbed, desperate to keep walking with them.

"Mr. Cullen, please…"

"Get out of my way!" I shouted, moving past him.

Bella needed me.

I needed to help her.

I needed her.

She had to know I loved her.

"Mr. Cullen…"

"MOVE!" I shouted.

"Edward!" I heard my father's authoritative voice, before his hands grabbed my shoulders.

"But…" I tried to argue.

"You have to let them do their job, Son," he said, still holding on to me.

"I know this is hard, but we'll do everything in our power to save her," he assured us.

"We know," dad nodded.

"You're welcome to sit in the waiting room," he gestured to a side room. "Someone will be with you shortly."

"Thank you," dad said and tugged me away.

"I need to be in there with her," I argued.

She needed me.

She needed to know that I loved her…that I'd never betray her.

"Edward," dad said sternly, "The more you argue with him, the less time he can spend helping Bella."

Silence engulfed the hallway, and I noticed everyone within a ten-foot radius was staring at me. He was right. He should have been helping Bella, too, not dealing with me.

"Okay," I reluctantly gave up.

I stood motionless as I watched the doctor's frame retreat down the hallway. I didn't put up much of a fight when Emmett tugged me into the waiting room.

"Oh, God," Alice whimpered, wiping stray tears from her eyes.

"Daddy," Megan asked Emmett with wet eyes, "Is Auntie Bella going to be okay?"

"I don't know, sweetie," Em answered honestly. "The doctors are helping her."

"She's going to be okay," I stated. "She has to be," I nodded my head in earnest.

She couldn't die.

God couldn't take her away from me.

I'd never considered myself to be a praying man. But for the first time since I was a child, I prayed. I prayed that Bella would be okay. I prayed that Bella would believe me when I told her that I'd never hurt her. I prayed this day would be over soon.

"Don't act all remorseful now," Victoria snarled, filling out the paperwork for Bella.

"What?" I asked, slowly lifting my head up.

"You heard me," she said as she stopped writing.

The entire room, strangers included, stopped what they were doing. I felt all eyes on Vic and me, as if they were encouraging her to speak more.

"Are we not going to acknowledge the elephant in the room?" she deadpanned, writing again. "Are we not going to talk about the fact that Bella saw you and Tanya together?" she huffed. "Or are you choosing to block that out?" she finished with a hint of sarcasm.

"Shit, Edward," Jasper sighed, shaking his head.

"What?" Alice asked, staring at me in disbelief.

"You didn't…" mom begged, wiping her eyes.

"No!" I shook my head in earnest. "I never touched Tanya."

"Well…Bella saw something that upset her pretty badly," Vic spat, her eyes narrowed at me.

"Vicki," James interrupted, "Drop it. Now isn't the time."

"You're right. I won't say _anything_," she smiled at me sinisterly. "Nothing…that doesn't concern me."

Huh?

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I asked, exasperated. She'd been talking in riddles since this entire thing started.

"Nothing," she replied. "Not…a…thing."

"What?" James asked, looking between Vic and I. "You aren't…?"

"No," Vic glared at him.

"But…"

"No, James!"

James jumped out of his seat and pulled Victoria out of the room.

"Edward," Emmett sighed, "Please, tell me you didn't sleep with Tanya."

"No, that's not what happened," I put my head in my hands, thinking about how I had gotten to this point,

Fucking Tanya!

_I was lying in bed, waiting for Bella to finish getting ready. I smiled, watching her walk around topless, her perfect breasts jiggling with every step as she searched for something. _

"_You should start getting ready," she smiled, inching her panties up her creamy thighs. _

"_No," I refused, "I like what I'm doing better," I told her, tilting my head as I watched her bend over to grab a bra from her suitcase. "It's a really nice view," I smirked. She laughed and flipped me off from between her legs. _

"_Later," I winked at her. _

"_Seriously," she chuckled, putting on a black and white striped sweater top, "Alice will flip her shit if we don't help supervise the table set up."_

_I rolled my eyes. Alice had been bossing everyone around all day. She hadn't done anything but boss us around. I was tired of lifting shit. She could do it herself. She should have just hired somebody. _

_I would rather stare at Bella. _

"_I did what I'm supposed to do," I said, watching her put on a full black poodle skirt. _

"_You should at least shower," she raised an eyebrow. "You smell pretty funky."_

"_No, I don't," I said, slinking out of bed. "I smell like I just had a round of hot sex with you," I kissed the side of her neck. _

"_Put that away," she pointed to my cock. "You could hurt someone with that monster," she blushed, kissing me. _

"_Mmmm," I sucked on her pulse point, "I'd rather fuck you."_

"_Ooh," she smiled, kissing me with fervor, "I like this dirty talk," she ran her fingers through my hair. "Edward?"_

"_Yes?" I asked, running my hands under her skirt. At least, I tried to. How many layers of crinoline were in this thing?_

"_Get ready," she pouted against my lips. "Alice won't let me hear the end of it," she pecked my lips, trying to scoot away from me. _

"_I don't wanna."_

"_I might…reward you later," she grinned mischievously. _

"_Promise?"_

_I was graced with one of her sweet giggles. "Get ready, lover," she rolled her eyes, grabbing her shoes and walking out the door. _

_Damn. I was hoping for another round before I was fed to the beast known as Alice. _

_I grabbed the new red button-down shirt and black slacks Alice had gotten for me and lay them on the bed, along with fresh underwear and socks. I rushed to the bathroom and took a shower. I brushed my teeth and then went to shave my face but paused. I'd been getting a little scruffy. Bella didn't seem to mind, though. She'd said it made me look hot, in fact. If she liked it, who was I to argue? Looking in the mirror, I gave myself a quick onceover and decided that a little stubble was okay. I ran a comb through my hair and threw on a towel before heading out of the bathroom to get ready. _

_I looked at the outfit and remembered that I didn't know where my black dress shoes were. The last time I remembered having them was when everyone had gone out partying a couple of days ago. _

"_Shit," I mumbled. _

_I knew I had another pair in one of my suitcases. I pulled my bags out of the closet and sorted through them, eventually finding another pair. I didn't like the cut, but they would do. I also found one of the Cartier watches Alice had gotten me a couple of years ago. I placed the new items on the bed and started unbuttoning my shirt so I could put it on. _

_I heard the door slowly crack open, and I couldn't help but smile._

"_You couldn't stay away, could you?" I laughed at Bella's sneakiness, as I sifted through the clothes. _

_I felt a warm body creep up behind me. I smirked, as I felt a finger ghosts its way down my spine. _

"_Nope," I shrugged my shoulder, "No peen for you now," I joked, putting on my undershirt. "I'm not in the mood anymore."_

_Of course I was. I was just making her sweat. _

_A sudden wave of cold air hit my lower half, as my towel was ripped from me. _

_Forceful. I liked it. _

_Bella's finger continued its path down my spine…around to my pelvic bone…until her hand was wrapped around my hard cock. _

"_Fuck," I threw my head back._

"_Hey there," I heard a familiar…unwelcome…voice. _

_It was not Bella's._

"_What the…?" I shouted, yanking her hand off me. "What the fuck are doing, Tanya?" I yelled, grabbing my towel and quickly wrapping it back around my waist, before spinning to glare daggers at her. _

"_It's not like I haven't already seen it," she said matter-of-factly, walking around to face me. _

"_What the…?" I stopped mid-sentence. "What are you doing here?" I asked, looking around frantically. _

"_I…" she paused, looking in my eyes, "I still love you."_

"_What?" I asked, confused. "But Riley…"_

"_I dumped him," she whispered. "I see you now…and he just doesn't compare," she shrugged, murmuring softly. "I miss you."_

_I looked in her eyes. For months after Tanya dumped me, I had prayed for her to say that to me. Now, I felt…nothing._

"_I know you still love me," she whispered to me, inching forward. _

"_Tanya…" I warned, stepping back. _

"_I know you still care," she cooed, touching my shoulder. _

"_Stop it!" I yelled at her, stepping back. "This is insane. You need to leave," I ordered, quickly pulling my underwear on under my towel so she couldn't see anything. _

"_I know you still want me," she rushed me again. "I know you, Edward," she dropped to her knees. "I know what you want…"_

"_I said no!" I hissed at her, pulling her back up to her feet._

"_What?" she asked in disbelief, with her mouth hanging open. She looked stunned. It was almost as if she was offended at the fact that I didn't want her. _

_Honestly, she looked desperate. It was very unattractive. I looked at her closer, hoping that my sudden disgust was apparent enough to dissuade her. _

_What had happened to her? Was she always so…skanky?_

_A year ago, this would have been my fantasy. Now, it was just sad. I remembered thinking that nothing was better or prettier than Tanya. Now that I had Bella, every other woman seemed…ordinary._

_Tanya had been my girlfriend. _

_Bella was my life. _

_I found myself shaking my head at my new appraisal of her and wondered out loud, "What the Hell was I thinking?"_

_A knock at the door shocked me, sending me into an immediate state of fear. The last thing I needed was Bella seeing this and getting the wrong idea. _

_No, not now. _

_I'd tell her what happened later, before the party started. _

"_Bella?" I heard Vic ask from the other side of the door. _

_I shoved Tanya into the bathroom and answered the door._

_Vic was looking for Bella, and she seemed excited about something. She'd probably had sex with James and was itching to tell the details. _

_I tried to act casual, eager to get rid of her, but failed miserably. _

_Once she left, I rushed into the bathroom and grabbed Tanya, shoving her toward the door. I had to get her out of here. _

"_You really don't want me anymore?" she asked, still in disbelief. _

"_No, Tanya, not even a little bit," I shook my head. "I love Bella. I'm going to marry her." _

"_Wow…" she said, her voice trailing off. _

"_You made your choice," I reminded her. "Now, I'm making mine. Leave me alone." _

"_This is…just…" she looked off, "Unexpected."_

"_I understand if you don't want to come to the party," I told her. Actually, I would have preferred it if she didn't come. It was still a possibility that Riley could press charges against Bella. I didn't want anything happening that could possibly get her into any additional trouble. _

"_Okay," she whispered, walking out the door in a daze. _

_How was I going to explain this?_

I never got a chance to explain. When I tried to talk to Bella before dinner, she rushed past me and immediately sat down. I just thought she was in a hurry for dinner, since Alice hadn't let us eat anything.

I should have known she was upset about something.

I should have told her immediately.

"What happened then?" Alice asked, rocking a teary-eyed Lexi in her lap.

"Tanya came on to me. She snuck into my room while I was getting ready and grabbed my…" I explained. "My back was turned, so I didn't know it was her," I said, fighting back tears. "As soon as I figured out it wasn't Bella, I stopped her. It only lasted like a second."

"But Bella saw."

"She must have," I nodded. "I didn't do it on purpose, I swear I didn't know it was Tanya," I pleaded to everyone. "I love Bella. I'd never hurt her."

"Edward," mom sighed.

"You guys believe me, don't you?" I asked, looking around. "I'd never cheat on Bella. Never," I shook my head profusely.

"Sweetie…" mom started.

"Okay," James rushed into the room, Victoria hot on his heels, "I have an announcement to make."

"James," Vic warned, "I said no!"

"Fuck that," James shook his head, "If it were me, I'd want to know."

"Know what?" everyone asked.

"It's a scam!" James shouted, as Victoria tried to cover his mouth.

"Huh?" everyone, and I mean everyone, shouted…even strangers.

"The Cullen family?" a nurse poked her head into the room, stealing the attention. I rushed out of the room, causing the nosy bystanders to sigh in disappointment.

I followed the nurse to what appeared to be a conference room of sorts. I paced, waiting to find out what was going on. The rest of my family filed in, sitting to wait with me.

"Mr. Cullen," a man in a dark blue suit appeared, grabbing my father's hand, "Let me just say it's an honor that you've entrusted one of your loved ones…"

"Can you stop kissing our asses and tell me what's wrong with my fiancée?" I asked, getting more annoyed by the minute.

Bella was lying somewhere, practically on death's doorstep, and they were kissing our asses in hopes of getting an endowment. It was sickening.

"It's been a long couple of hours," mom interrupted. "We'd really like to know what's going on."

"O-okay," the man in the suit stepped aside and gave the floor to the doctor I'd spoken with earlier.

"First, I'll start out with telling you that Ms. Swan is going to be okay," he said, causing a wave of relief to wash over me. "She experienced a severe case of anaphylaxis…or shock…which caused the swelling, hives, and seizures. We started by giving her a dose of epinephrine to stop the attack. Unfortunately, it led to a temporary period of respiratory arrest, in which we had to intubate her to open her airway," he added.

"Oh, my God," mom's eyes teared up.

"She's stabilized now, though, and is currently resting," he assured us. "If she'd arrived five or ten minutes later, however, we might've been having a different conversation."

A gasp ripped through my body, as the weight of his words took a toll on me.

Bella had almost died.

She could have died.

My Bella almost died.

She would have died thinking I didn't love her.

"Were you all aware that Bella has a severe peanut allergy?" he asked, looking at her chart.

"Yes," we all nodded.

"She hadn't eaten anything all day," I said.

"Are you sure?" the doctor asked, looking at a particular piece of paper.

"Yes," Alice nodded her head. "We'd been working all day on my parents' anniversary party. We hadn't had the time."

"Even if she ate something today, I'm sure it didn't have nuts in it," my mom added. "I specifically told the chef that we couldn't have anything with nuts in it. I also checked the food myself," her eyes started to water. "There were no nuts in anything."

"That's…even more interesting," he mumbled to himself. "We ran a test and found a concentrated amount of peanuts in Bella's system," he held up a piece of paper. "We found it odd, because there was nothing solid in her stomach."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, shocked.

"I don't understand," my mom shook her head. "How is that possible?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say someone put peanut extract in something Bella consumed," he looked around the room. "That's purely conjecture at this point, however."

"But she didn't eat anything," Alice insisted.

"She drank something," Victoria pointed out. "I saw her take a drink from her glass, before she got up from the table."

"Does Bella have any enemies?" he asked, "Someone who would want to do her harm?"

"I don't think so," I shook my head. "I mean, she's had some disagreements while she was here, but I don't think anyone would want her _dead_."

"I'm not necessarily suggesting foul play," the doctor threw up his hands, "I'm just reporting what I found."

"Is she okay now?" I asked. "Can I see her?"

"Yes, this way," he said, motioning us into the hallway. "We've contacted the authorities, since we're not certain about the nature of this incident. I'll give you the information, just in case you'd like to pursue this matter further," he notified, leading us to the ICU.

I was the first in and about crumbled when I saw her. "Bella," I whispered, walking over to her bed. "Baby," I whimpered, looking at her lifeless form.

This was different. Bella always looked ethereal when she was sleeping. Now, it was like she was dead. Her lips had no color. Her hair looked matted. Her skin appeared sallow.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "I should've been there," I held her hand and kissed her forehead. "I love you. You know that, don't you?" I asked, brushing a piece of hair behind her ear. "You know I'd do anything for you, right?" I rubbed her hand. It looked like they'd had to cut her rings off her swollen fingers.

I stared at her, waiting for some sign of life. I knew her body had been through the ringer. Hell…she'd almost died. But I'd give my right arm for a twitch of a finger or a flutter of her eyes…any sign of life.

"I'd never hurt you," I whispered in her ear. "I'd never betray you. Bella, I love you too much to do that to you," I rubbed her hand against my cheek. It didn't feel the same as when _she_ touched me.

How could she not know?

How could she not know how consumed I was with her very being?

How could she doubt me?

After everything we'd been through…after her sharing her most precious gift with me…how could she believe I'd deny her for a second?

I knew her relationship with her parents had left her feeling angry and unwilling to trust anyone…but she didn't trust me.

Beneath all the fear…fear that she wouldn't believe me…fear that she'd leave me…I was hurt that she'd been so quick to believe the worst.

"It's okay, I forgive you. I'll tell you everything…and it'll be okay," I sobbed, laying my head on her stomach.

"Hey," Vic's soft voice entered the room.

She looked over Bella's stationary body from the corner of the room for a couple of minutes. Then, she took a chair and scooted it to the other side of the bed.

"Wake up, bitch," she deadpanned, poking Bella's boob. "This shit isn't funny," she chuckled sadly. "You don't want your mom to inherit all of your money, do you?" she joked, staring at her friend. "You know she'll make you wear something you'll hate in your casket, and you'll be stuck in it for eternity."

I heard a sniffle coming from her side of the room. Her head popped up, and I saw tears streaming down her face.

"Victoria…" I tried to comfort her.

"I'm okay," she wiped her face. "She'll be okay. Bella would rather die than let some sneaky, underhanded bitch get the best of her," she growled. "Fuck. That didn't come out right."

"I know what you meant," I told her. "Victoria, I didn't…"

"I know," she interrupted me. "I saw that little display of affection," she smiled at me. "A guilty man wouldn't look at Bella like you do," she sighed.

"I can't lose her," I said, kissing Bella's hand.

"You won't," she shook her head. "Beneath her tough bitch exterior, Bella's only a girl, just like the rest of us," she nodded. "She loves you."

"She'll believe me. She has to," I said, trying to reassure myself.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?" I heard Rose shout from outside the doorway.

I checked outside in the hallway to see what was going on. The Denali's were out there talking to my parents.

"We just wanted to see if Bella's okay," Heidi said stiffly.

"Bullshit," Alice called her out. "You hate Bella."

"No, I don't."

I heard Victoria huff. Like a blur, she ran out of the room and charged down the hallway.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" she shouted, before a loud smack was heard across the corridor.

"OW!" Heidi stepped back. "My lawyer will love this," she seethed at Victoria.

"It'll be worth every penny," Victoria hissed in reply.

"Honey," James pulled her back, "You're on probation."

"I'll get a good lawyer," she tried to yank free.

"I hope you like prison, whore!" Tanya spat, checking her mother's face.

"Not half as much as you will, you poisoned Bella!" she pointed her finger at Tanya.

"No, I didn't!"

"Yes, you did!" Vic accused her, causing everyone to look at us. "You wanted Bella out of the picture, so you put peanut oil in her glass. I'll bet you thought she'd just have a mild reaction, causing her to have to go somewhere…leaving you alone with Edward. You were WRONG! She almost died, you bitch!" Vic tugged against James, trying to go after Tanya. "That's attempted murder!"

"Tanya," Alec gasped, stepping back to look at his daughter.

"You've watched too much _Law & Order_," Heidi rolled her eyes. "Tanya didn't poison anybody," she rubbed her jaw, eyeing the exit. "This is stupid."

"Stupid?" Vic questioned. "Like trying to pawn your daughter's unborn baby off on Edward, so he'd feel obligated to save your family from financial ruin?" she yelled at Heidi.

At this point, the nurses, doctors, patients, and everyone in between were staring at my entire family, in anticipation of what would happen next.

Wait a minute.

"You're pregnant?" I asked Tanya.

"Uh…" Tanya started, looking around.

"Yep," Victoria smiled, "She's pregnant. She's not even that far along…she's just fat. And Heidi and Alec are on a one-way trip to the poorhouse. They told Tanya to seduce you so you'd think the baby is yours. They know you wouldn't want your kid living in abject poverty, so they're counting on the likelihood that you'll give the Denali's money because they're Tanya's family."

I stepped back to take everything in. To be honest, this felt like a plotline from a B-list soap opera. However, I wouldn't put it past Heidi to try and pull something like this off.

"Is this true?" I asked Tanya.

Silence.

"You…fucking…bitch," I heard my mother…my sweet, gentle mother…seethe in Heidi's direction.

Alice and Emmett shared looks of shock. In my twenty-three years of life, I'd never heard my mom swear. Ever.

"Esme…" Heidi started backing up.

"The _only _reason I've _tolerated _your presence in my life is because of our husbands' friendship," my mom started, inching forward. "I've dealt with your classist, pretentious, bitchy, husband-ogling ways for almost thirty years," she paused, stepping forward, "And this is how you repay us?" she spat, fists clenched. "After we've helped your family?" she added. "You scheme and plot to trap my son…and steal his legacy?"

"Esme…"

"You can't stand it, can you?" she pointed at Heidi. "Bella's smarter than Tanya. She's prettier than Tanya. She's more talented than Tanya. People can actually stand to be in the same room with her!" she inched even closer. "The real reason for all this, though, is you can't bear the thought of losing another Cullen man, can you, Heidi?" mom glared at her. "You're only out to get what you want…by any means necessary," she seethed. "You couldn't get Carlisle, so now you're coming after Edward. Except this time, you're using your own children," she shook her head in disgust. "You're fucking pathetic."

"Burn," Emmett whispered.

"Shut up!" Heidi cried. "It should've been me!"

"Huh?" we all asked.

"Carlisle…" Heidi stared at him, "It should've been me you married, not her."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Alice whispered.

"We were good together, right?" Heidi whimpered.

"What the fuck, Heidi?" Alec asked, completely taken off guard.

"When we danced…" Heidi sobbed, "When we…"

"Seriously?" dad asked in disbelief. "It was senior prom…in high school…and I was hammered," he stared at her incredulously.

"You were drunk?" she gasped.

"Yes!" he said, like it was obvious. "I threw up on you!" he tried to jog her memory. "You've got to get over it. You sound crazy."

"_Sound_ crazy?" I mumbled.

"Carlisle," she cried, moving forward and reaching for dad.

"Bitch!" mom punched Heidi in the nose. "Stay away from my husband!" she shouted. "He doesn't want you. He will never want you!" she shouted over Heidi's crumbled body. "I swear, if you had anything to do with what happened to Bella…"

There was a sudden loud beep throughout the hallways of the hospital, followed by all the screens on the walls turning blue. The screens then turned back on. Except this time, Charlie appeared…on every screen.

"Is that Charlie?" Alice asked shocked.

"Oh, Shit!" Emmett pointed at the screen closest to us.

"I called him," Victoria smiled sinisterly at the Denali's.

"You can do that to the screens?" Jasper asked, impressed.

"Hello, everyone," Charlie started speaking. "It's come to my attention that my daughter, Isabella, has had a recent…incident," he looked intently at us from the monitors. "You can only imagine my shock at this news. This shock was followed by a sense of anger…then amusement. I was angered because it seems like my Bella has been the victim of some sort of foul play. Then, I was amused at the fact that whoever did this thinks they're smart enough to get away with it," his sneer slowly turned into a smile. "You're not," his smile quickly faded. "I've already dispatched a team of investigators to the Cullen residence to do some digging," he smiled again. "So," he paused, getting out of his chair to lean towards the camera, "Anyone found responsible for my daughter's near demise will pay…dearly," he stared icily into the camera. "Fiery rain…locusts…frogs…that'll look like a case of dandruff compared to what I'm capable of…and willing to…bestow upon you," he said in a low voice before sitting down. "To those of you who this message doesn't apply to, have a nice day. To those of you who it does…" he paused, "May God have mercy on you…because I sure as hell won't," he deadpanned before the screen went back to blue.

"HEIDI did it!" Alec pointed to his wife.

"Honey…" she started backpedaling.

"Don't 'honey' me, bitch," he shook his finger at her. "Love don't live here anymore," he walked away from her and sat down.

"Mom…?" Tanya, Kate, and Irina looked at her in shock.

"I just thought she'd have to go to the hospital," Heidi rushed out. "I didn't know she'd almost die!"

"That's not a fucking excuse!" I shouted, stalking towards her.

She had almost killed my Bella. Bella had almost died…because of her.

"You're a beautiful woman, Mrs. Denali," I started, "But your soul is _ugly_. You've lived your life based on the manipulation of others. I can't believe that there was ever a time where I wanted your approval," I seethed, my hands shaking with anger. "I thank God that Tanya dumped me when she did, because if she hadn't, I would just be marrying _you_ warmed over," I said, looking at Tanya. "You'll NEVER be a Cullen. You aren't worthy to lick dog shit off of my mother's shoes," I hissed at her. "You…your family…they mean nothing, they are nothing," I said before walking back to Bella's room.

"Edward, I'm so…"

"GO TO HELL, TANYA!" I turned around and shouted at her, "And take your bitch mother with you!" I finished, slamming the door behind me.

"Did you hear that?" I smiled at Bella. "I guess I finally found my balls, huh?" I joked for her, running my finger along her cheek.

I smiled, wondering what Bella would have done if she had seen that. She'd probably kiss me…or flash me.

"Mr. Cullen," a nurse came into the room, "Visiting hours are over," she notified me.

"Shit," I mumbled, looking at the clock. "Is it possible that I could stay with her?"

"I'm sorry, but we don't allow overnight visitors in the ICU. We have to stick to our policy," she said sadly. After fifteen minutes of arguing, she still wouldn't budge. "You can come back at eight o'clock in the morning. That's when visiting hours start again."

"Okay," I said, reluctantly getting up. "Bye, lover," I whispered in Bella's ear, using her nickname for me. I took her engagement ring out of my pocket and put it back on her finger. It was where it belonged. "I love you," I placed a kiss on her lips, before heading home for the night.

The house was in complete disarray as a result of the investigators. As it turned out, Heidi had laced all the glasses, as well as the silverware and dishes, with peanut oil. All of Mom's good china was now evidence in a potential attempted murder case, and our house was considered a crime scene. We had to stay in a hotel for the night.

I liked it. I didn't think I would have been able to stay in my room alone. It wasn't my room anymore. It was our room. I felt as if my eyes didn't close once all night. My mind kept racing. I wouldn't have peace until I knew Bella was okay.

We left the hotel before seven thirty and arrived exactly at 8:00 A.M. I was devastated at the news we received when we got there.

"She's checked out," the lady at the front desk told me, looking at her computer.

"What?" I asked, feeling like the wind had suddenly been knocked out of me.

"It looks like someone came in and checked her out."

"She almost died," Victoria gasped, "and you just…let her go?"

"Ma'am, I wasn't in charge of her discharge," the lady said, looking at her computer again. "She was checked out at…eleven o'clock last night," she said shocked. "That must be a typo."

"She's gone," I whispered, sitting down.

Bella left me.

"She's gone," I whispered again.

Bella left me.

"She's gone," I said again, my vision getting blurry.

"Do you know where she went?" mom asked the lady, looking at me from the corner of her eye.

"It's not listed, Ma'am, I'm sorry."

"This is bullshit," Victoria seethed. "It sounds like Daddy Dearest cut the hospital a check so they'd let Bella leave before we got here."

"Victoria," dad started, "Do you know where she would've gone?"

She was gone.

Bella left me.

"Mr. Cullen," Vic huffed, "Bella has a broken heart, real estate in every major country in the world, a passport, and an unlimited supply of money," she deadpanned. "She could be anywhere."

She didn't know how much I loved her.

She had to know how much I loved her.

At that moment, I decided that I wouldn't shut down. It was my fault Bella had gotten the wrong idea in the first place. It was my duty to make it right. If she didn't know how much I loved her, I'd make it my mission to make her know.

I wouldn't crumble.

Not now.

Not yet.

Not while Bella was hurting.

"Alice, do you still have Bella's phone?" I asked. I doubted she'd had it at the hospital.

"Yeah," she handed it to me.

I took the phone and walked outside. Once again, I dialed Charlie's number.

I was sure he'd hired secret agents to dedicate their time to ruining my life. But I'd try anyway.

"Bella?" he answered.

"I love your daughter, Charlie!" I shouted into the receiver.

"Not too much, judging by what she told me," he huffed. "Do you have any idea what you've done?" he asked. "You're future…"

"We lied to you," I admitted the truth. "Bella and I were never engaged," I told him. "She was helping me out as a favor," I rushed out. "But during our time here, I fell for her," I confessed. "I love her, Charlie. And I know she loves me."

"You're not good enough!" he yelled at me. "You've been together a week. During that time, she's been assaulted, gotten into a bar fight, and then landed in the hospital with a near-death experience," he accused. "You can't protect her."

"And you can?" I retorted. "I know what it's like to run away from your problems," I started. "It's easier. It's safer. But you always miss…something. You wonder about the 'what ifs' in life, and you always have doubts. Have you ever wondered what kind of relationship you'd have with Bella if you were there more?" I asked, hoping to strike his heart. "You can't be happy with your relationship, Charlie."

"She knows I love her," he said petulantly.

"Does she?" I asked. Silence. I had his attention. "Right now, Bella's out there somewhere, alone, thinking that I don't love her…because of a mistake. Charlie, I love Bella with everything I am. She has to know that," I said desperately. "If she turns me away, neither of you will hear from me again," I promised. "But I deserve a shot. That's all I ask. One chance," I paused.

The only reason I knew he hadn't hung up was that I could hear him breathing.

"If you make me regret this, boy, I'll make you regret the day you ever met Bella," he threatened. "Got it?"

"Yes, Sir," I smiled.

"I must be getting soft in my old age," he grumbled, and then I heard the sound of him typing on a keyboard. "If you tell anyone I was convinced so easily, I'll deny it," he griped, and then I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.

"Already?" I asked, impressed.

"I had a tracking device planted inside one of Bella's molars when she was twelve," he explained. "It was in case she was ever kidnapped. Don't tell her," he threatened. "She's chartered a plane, so I know she's there," he told me. "I'll send one to pick you up."

"Thanks…" before I could finish thanking him properly, he hung up. I was not fazed by Charlie's clear disapproval of me. I was just happy I now knew where Bella was.

I was going to propose to her…for real this time…and I knew _just_ how I was going to do it.


	24. Chapter 24

**Attention: This chapter is being posted not beta'd. Errors…there are many of them. Please forgive me. **

**I don't own anything. **

**Now…**

**BPOV**

I see Alice direct the caterers and florists, while I try to make myself seem like I'm busy.

"Bella?" she looks around. I quickly hide behind a wall so she can't see me. "You won't be able to hide for long," she says in a sing-song voice, before I hear her correct a florist's choice of colors of a flower arrangement.

Where the Hell is Edward?

I've been down here almost 45 minutes and he's nowhere to be found. It doesn't take men that long to get ready. Wash your ass, put on clothes, comb your hair. Done. It's not like he has to worry about makeup or curling his hair.

He's stalling.

I stealthily make a getaway, slinking up the stairs to get Edward so we can share this torment.

I notice the door is open a little. I don't want a repeat of the whole "I saw your dick" thing. Even though, I've seen Edward's penis quite a lot since then. Maybe he won't care. He probably will though. I giggle to myself, thinking that he'll probably clam up because of shrinkage or something.

Screw it.

I gently touch the doorknob, so much to where the door doesn't even screech. I find myself blushing, hoping that Edward is getting undressed and I get a peepshow.

The air escapes my lungs, causing my entire body to burn, as I look at the sight before me.

Tanya…stroking Edward's cock…with Edward's head thrown back in ecstasy.

"Fuck," he whimpers, throwing his head back, almost resting it in the crook of that bitch's neck.

"Hey, there," she giggles, in what sounds like victory.

Before I know what I'm doing, I shut the door and my vision becomes blurry with tears.

Every woman has played a scenario out in her head about if she caught her boyfriend cheating on her. Most of the time, it involves slapping, punching, hair pulling, and in some girls' cases… a night in their local holding cell.

But that's your imagination.

I always thought I was the kind of girl that would castrate a guy if I caught him fucking around. That was until I caught the man that I _love_…the _first_ man that I ever loved…the man that I **_thought_** loved me…getting a hand job from his ex-girlfriend… his bitchy ex-girlfriend…his fat bitchy ex-girlfriend.

It changes things.

It _definitely_ changes things…which is why I'm currently in a bathroom down the hall crying as silently as possible.

I hate crying. I always have. Whenever a rogue tear falls from my eye, I hear my father in my ear.

_"If I cried every time I didn't get what I wanted, I would have drowned in my tears a long time ago." _

I wasn't one of those stereotypical rich girls who cried in order to get what she wanted. My parents drilled it into me very early on in life that crying will get you nothing except a headache.

In my mother's case, it was runny mascara.

Crying made you weak.

Crying was stupid.

Weak and stupid was exactly how I felt. As tears flow down my eyes, I briefly wonder if this was Edward's plan the whole time. Seven years is a long time. I imagine that doesn't just fade away. Was I just a distraction or a ploy to make Tanya jealous so she'd want him back?

I find myself feeling even more stupid that the scenario didn't even cross my mind until just now. If he just told me, I would have understood.

I hear my cries becoming louder so I turn on the faucet to drown them out. From then, I just sit on the edge of the bathtub and crying with my head between my legs.

I cry for my emotionally abusive mother.

I cry for my absentee father.

Mostly, I cry for my broken heart.

"Who's in there?" I hear Emmett knocking on the door.

"Huh?" I choke out, trying not to sound like I've been crying. "It's Bella," I announces myself, unraveling half a roll of tissue to wipe my eyes.

"Well, wipe your ass and get downstairs," he starts chuckling. "Dinner is almost ready."

"Okay," I respond, doing my best to hide my sniffles.

"Hurry," he taps the door. "I'm hungry."

I stand up from the tub and look in the mirror.

I'm unrecognizable.

Runny mascara and unkempt hair is all I see. Frankly, I look as shitty as I feel.

What happened to me within the course of the week to make me so weak? I never thought in a million years that I'd be one of those women who fall for the first man who pays them any sort of attention only to be hurt in the end.

The ending to those stories are always the same.

Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Someone gets fucked over. The end.

At that point, I immediately know the answer to my first question and I hate myself for it.

"Stop it," I say to myself in the mirror, running a rag in the still-running faucet and running it over my face. "You're better than this," I repeat the phrase popularized by my mother whenever I was doing something stupid.

I touch up my face as much as I can, before heading outside.

I don't want to be here.

I want to get my shit and go home. Alone.

"Bella," Esme calls, as she comes out of nowhere.

"Yeah," I reply, my back somewhat turned to her.

"Alice is soooo out of control this year," she complains, before I hear the sound of jewelry clinking. "It's a good thing the kids have a new reinforcement to combat the crazy," she pats my back.

"Uh huh," I shrug slightly.

"I'm so glad that you're here," she hugs me from behind and kisses my cheek. "After all this time, it finally feels like my family is complete," I feel her smile against me. "Come on," she puts the diamond necklace Carlisle gave her for Christmas. "Help me put this on," she smiles at me.

"Sure," I say lowly, clasping the necklace on her.

"So…." She stands in front of me and twirls around. "How do I look?" she asks, nervously.

She had on this gorgeous red floor length gown. The straps in the front intersected in the back to make a big bow. She looked gorgeous. She runs her hands over her dress self-consciously and for a brief second, she doesn't look like a woman about to celebrate her 26th wedding anniversary. She looks like a 14 year old girl about to go on her first date.

Even though I'm going through my own personal hell, I smile a genuine smile of happiness for Edward's parents.

I decide that I'll leave after dinner. It would upset Esme, otherwise.

"You look amazing, Esme," I smile at her.

"Good," she sighs in relief. "This dress cost a fortune," she chuckles. "You look so adorable," she grins at me, flicking my poodle skirt.

"Thanks," I say, feeling my smile starting to deflate.

"We should get down there," she says. "Alice is bursting at the seams," she smiles again.

I go downstairs and see Vicki barreling towards me.

"Hey, Bella. Cool outfit," she smiles, vibrating in what appears to be anticipation.

"Hey," I try to smile. I had no idea how hard it was until now.

"You won't believe what I heard last night…or saw for that matter," she starts.

At this point, I don't care. I just want to get this night over with so I can go home. I sincerely doubt that anything Victoria says will make any difference in this decision. When she gets like this, farting in public can be the grounds for good gossip.

I'm not in the mood for her chipper attitude.

"I have to go help Alice," I smile, hoping to sell the lie. "You can tell me later. Okay?"

"It's good. I promise," she's practically hopping right now.

I'm still not interested.

"Victoria," I stop her mid- sentence. I choose my words very carefully. When I get in a shitty mood, I'm known to say a lot of shit that I don't mean. The last thing I want to do is hurt someone's feelings because I'm having a bad day. "It can wait," I settle, before walking away.

I look around and wonder if they can tell. Is my pain visible to all those who are looking. I stop to collect myself and feel a familiar, traitorous spark along my arm.

"You look beautiful," he comes up to me smiling.

"Ugh," I huff, walking into the dining room and sit in my chair.

"Bella…" Vic starts. "Bella…Bella…Bella what's…" as if God is answering a prayer, Carlisle starts talking and distracts her.

"26 years ago, I became whole…"

At that point, I tune out. It's hard for me to buy the Happily Ever After bullshit when I'm sitting here with my heart breaking into a million pieces. I look around to see everyone else looking at Carlisle and Esme in awe. Then, I glance at Esme. I look at her and it's like I can tell that Carlisle is her world. He looks at her just the same.

She looks around, midway through his speech and sighs out of…content.

A husband that loves her. Beautiful children. Lovely grandchildren. A fuckload of money.

She got a fairytale ending.

Maybe that's why most girls read fairy tales…because they hope that maybe just maybe they can beat the odds because let's face it-the odds are incredibly slim.

I never believed in fairy tales until about three days ago. Even as a child, I remember laughing at Cinderella and how dumb she was. What idiot goes to a ball in glass slippers? It would be impossible to walk…let alone dance.

While I was here, I thought that maybe it was possible to get the whole Happily Ever After thing. A handsome husband who adored me. A house full of kids.

It wasn't long until reality got in the way. Reality in the form of my boyfriend getting a hand job from his ex-girlfriend.

Fairytales are bullshit.

I almost forgot. Almost.

"I'm sorry," I scoot my chair away from the table, causing everyone to stare at me. "I can't do this," I struggle not to tear up, throwing my napkin on the table.

"Bella," Edward asks, playing the role of the loving and supporting fiancé'.

"FUCK YOU, EDWARD!" I find myself shouting, before I can control myself. I had officially become unglued to the point I didn't recognize myself. I never would have dreamed of doing anything like that. I never would have dreamed this would have happened to me… any of it. I look around to the looks of shock on some guests' faces and immediately feel ashamed and embarrassed. Ashamed at my outburst and embarrassed that everyone now knows something is wrong.

So much for subtlety.

I just want to get out of here. He wouldn't let me. He got what he wanted. I don't know why he won't just let me leave. I listen to the sounds of conversation among the other guests and side glances to what is going on which only serves to further my humiliation.

I just want for this to be over.

And out of the blue… it was.

Or at least I thought it was.

_"Edward," she moans, looking into his eyes and she rides his cock in earnest. "Ah…"_

_"Fuck," he hisses, grabbing her hips to move her faster. "I missed you."_

_"I missed you too," she groans, leaning back to rest the palms of her hands on his thighs. _

_"I lo…"_

"Ahhhhhh!" I scream at the top of my lungs, my back rising up from a…hospital bed?

What the Fuck?

"You're up," a man in a black suit with a Bluetooth in his ear moves over to my bed.

"What?" I ask, somewhat disoriented. "What happened?"

"I think it's best for the doctor to explain," he says, pointing to the door when a doctor enters the room.

"What the fuck?" I ask, looking around the room at the machines.

"Mrs. Swan," the man in the lab coat sits on the bed. "You had a major allergic reaction, as a result…"

"What?" I ask, confused. "I didn't eat anything."

"We have suspicion to believe that someone put peanut extract in your water," he addresses my doubt. "Your body experienced a significant trauma," he adds. "There was even an instance of respiratory arrest."

My lungs stopped working?

"I don't…"

"If you arrived five or ten minutes later, you could have suffered a brain injury…or died," he finishes.

Maybe it was the fact that I apparently almost _died_, but I could not understand the situation.

"How did peanut extract get in my water?"

"Uh…" the man in the suit chimes in, awkwardly. "We have reason to believe that someone intentionally put the extract in your water to harm you."

Who would want to…

That bitch…

"Tanya," I seethe, suddenly remembering everything.

_"Fuck."_

_"Hey there."_

"We prefer to leave the matter to the police," the doctor excuses the topic. "I just want you and your parents to know that we will be taking very good care of you," he smiles. "I'm pretty sure that your fiancé will be glad…"

"He's _not_ my fiancé'," I interrupt quickly. "I think me catching him getting a hand job from his fat ex- girlfriend is as good a reason as any to break up," I try to chuckle but failing miserably.

The room starts to become blurry, as I feel my cheeks warm with tears.

How could I have been so stupid?

"Well…" the doctor rebounds. "You don't have to alert him you're awake," he smiles awkwardly. "Just know that we'll be taking care of you."

"I…" I start, unsure of what to say or do. "I…"

"It's okay, Mrs. Swan," the man in the suit says softly. "Your father sent me to look after you," he pats my shoulder, approaching me like I'm a wild animal.

Oh Great.

"Thanks," I whimper, trying to conjure up any remaining sarcasm that I have left. "Daddy shows his love."

Of course, I almost die…_again_… and he doesn't even bother to make a dent in his _oh so busy_ schedule to see about me.

"He's in Thailand right now," he makes an excuse. "Of course, he's unable…"

"Whatever," I huff, before wiping the tears from my face.

As my hands rub over my face, I feel a streak of coolness along my cheeks. I look at my hand to see Grandma Masen's ring, which I vaguely remember throwing in Edward's face, is still sitting on my ring finger.

Like clockwork, my eyes start to flood again. This time, the tears are accompanied by body-quivering sobs.

I though he was the one.

I thought he loved me.

"Edward," I find myself choking out between sobs and sniffles. "I…I…I…" I struggle to find words.

"Mrs. Swan…"

"I want to go home," I finally say something. "I want to go home."

"I can't do that," the doctor shakes his head.

"Yes, you can," I nod my head, tears still streaming down my face. "I wanna go home," I repeat.

"Bella," the man in the suit looks me in the eye. "You almost _died_," he says sternly. "You need to stay here."

"No!" I shake my head. "I wanna go home. I wanna go home," I chart chanting, closing my eyes.

I can't stay here… not when everything reminds me of him. Not where the rest of his family will without a doubt bombard me with excuses and pity.

Not here.

I want to be alone…like I'm supposed to be.

"I can't do that," the doctor shakes his head profusely. "We need to take care of…"

"Cut the bullshit!" I yell, silencing the room.

I was so sick of people pretending to have my interest at heart. They never do.

"Mrs. Swan…"

"If I didn't have insurance, you'd put a Band-Aid on me and kick me out the door," I point out. "Stop pretending to give a shit because we both know that you don't," I order. "You're only being so attentive because of who my parents are."

I don't want to be here longer than necessary.

"Uh…" the doctor looks to the man in the suit. "I don't…"

"You have to release me," I cross my arms. "I asked to be released. You have to release me," I point out. "You," I point to the man in the suit. "Get me some clothes."

"Mrs. Swan, it's 9:30 in the evening," he informs me. "We can't release you until…"

"How much?' I huff, rolling my eyes.

"Uh…"

"Get your supervisor…or whoever is in charge of donations… and get him down here," I order. "Let's just cut to the chase," I add. "I want out. If I have to buy my way out, I'll do it."

"Mrs…"

"Just go," I beg, my lip quivering.

"Okay," he shrinks, walking out the door.

"Your father won't allow this," man in the suit shakes his head. "You need to rest."

"It's a good thing that I have my own money. Isn't it?" I ask, rolling my eyes. "Charter a plane for me."

"I can't do that," he shakes his head. "You can check yourself out but I won't help you…"

"Fine," I reach for his phone and call my father.

After about a million rings, I finally get an answer.

"Hello?" Charlie asks. "Is everything okay?" he rushes out.

"Tell your goon to charter a plane for me," I skip the pleasantries.

"What?" he asks, in shock. "I'm not doing that," he refuses. "I just dispatched a doctor to fly out to see you."

I shake my head in anger at how he is probably flying some doctor out from another coast or continent to come look after me but he won't do it himself.

"I'm leaving," I tell him. "I'm going home."

"Then ride a bus," he says. "Take a cab," he offers another option. "Stay in the hospital, Bella," he huffs.

"I'm going home."

"No, you're not," he argues. "I know you don't like hospitals but you're hurt," he makes his case. "Stay and let Edward…"

"There is no more Edward," I try my best not to choke on my words. Dad hates it when I cry.

"Well…" he huffs.

"Don't say it," I whimper, shaking my head. "'I told you so,' is the last thing I need to hear, right now," I say.

"Bella," he starts arguing again. "I know you're upset…"

"Don't fucking bargain with me!" I shout into the phone.

"I'm not…"

"Have I ever asked you for _anything_?" I ask, fire in my voice. "Have I ever truly asked you for anything of _substance_?" I further. "I didn't ask for you to stay at my engagement party. I didn't ask for you to come to my graduation. I haven't even asked you to come visit me in the hospital," I seethe. "I have never required any major thing from you…except for this," I start crying. "You obviously don't love me…so the least you can do is charter me a fucking plane," I struggle out, before closing the phone and throwing it across the room.

Shit. That wasn't my phone.

"Sorry," I apologize.

"It okay," he looks away from me, picking up the damaged phone. It doesn't take long before the device starts ringing to signal a text message. "Your plane will be ready within an hour," he says.

"Daddy comes through," I sigh.

After a meeting with practically every employee of the hospital, a generous donation, and a document releasing the hospital of any wrongdoing, and a trip to the gift store to get clothes, I was free to go.

"Where to?" the pilot asks, greeting me in front of the G6 jet.

"I don't know," I whisper, looking around. I briefly think about how nervous I was when Edward and I first arrived here. Now, I have no other need but to get away from my misery. "Take me where people are happy," I sigh, taking one final look around.

"Do you have anywhere in mind?"

"Surprise me," I challenge, as the staircase descends.

"Do you have any luggage?" a flight stewardess asks, looking at my lack of baggage…the physical baggage. I have enough emotional baggage for three people.

SNOOKI!

"Fuck," I facepalm myself. "I forgot Snooki."

"Huh?" she asks, confused.

"My dog," I explain. "I forgot my dog."

She's probably on Edward's lap. She adores him.

"Would you like for me to go get her?" the man in the suit asks, taking out another phone. "They'll hold the jet until…"

"No," I shake my head in defiance. "I'll get her when I go back to school," I say. "I don't want to see him," I confide.

"Ok," he puts the phone away.

"Then, I guess we'll be on our way," the stewardess escorts us onto the plane.

"You don't have to…"

"I do," he interrupts me. "I have strict instructions to make sure you get to the property and set up."

"Sure," I groan, slumping into my seat.

"This is your captain speaking," the intercom blares through the cabin. "We'll be at our destination in around 9 hours," he informs.

The sound of the plane speeding up, coupled with the man in the suit typing feverishly on his computer serve as somewhat of a distraction. I cradle my knees against my chest, watching how everything gets smaller as the jet gets higher. It all seems so insignificant.

Against my will, I find my eyes once again welling with tears. I'm pretty sure the man in the suit is tired of seeing me cry, so I rest my head on my knees and try to control myself.

"Uh…" he taps my shoulder, in an awkward fashion. "Here," he says, handing me a box of Kleenex.

"Thanks," I grab the box and proceed to blow my nose.

"Wanna talk about it?" he sits across from me.

"No," I say, like a petulant child.

"Maybe you'd stop crying, if you talked about it."

"Well…" I look up from my tissue. "I'm sorry that the disintegration of my relationship is proving to be taxing on your ears."

Figures. He just wants me to stop crying.

Asshole.

No wonder he works for my dad.

"That's not what I meant," he huffs, rolling his eyes. "Talking about traumatic events is known to help people heal," he excuses.

"I don't feel like talking about seeing me ex getting a hand job from his fat ex-girlfriend," I gripe.

"Yes, you do," he argues. "You wouldn't word it like that, if you didn't."

"No, thanks." I shake my head and cross my arms.

I've never been the one to talk about things. If you talk about it, it becomes real.

"I know…"

"You don't know shit," I interrupt him, getting more annoyed by the second. "The only things you know about me are the things you read in a file somewhere," I start. "What you don't know…that I'm trying to hint at you…is that I'm not a particularly feeling person," I take a breath, gathering my emotions. "So, No," I stare at him. "I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to cry on your shoulder," I seethe at him. "What I do want is for you to leave me the hell alone!" I yell, and turn my back to look at the window.

"O-kay," he sighs, putting his hands up in surrender. He gets up from his seat and moves to sit closer to the cabin.

If I didn't know that he worked for my father, I'd feel bad about how I talked to him. However, I'm sure he's heard worse.

Things become a little tense afterwards, as anticipated. So, I stare out of my window. Eventually, my eyes become heavy and I fall asleep.

_"Fuck"_

_"Hey, there"_

"Mrs. Swan?"

"Ah!" I squeak, jolting awake. "What?" I ask, wiping the cold sweat from my face.

"We're here," the stewardess announces, smiling.

"Oh," I shoot up, and make my way to the door.

"I pray that my choice was acceptable," the pilot voices, as my eyes fall upon three men who each have on white linen pants and floral shirts.

It looks like a Tommy Bahama convention.

"Aloha," a slender man steps forward to greet me, as I step off the staircase. "My name is Patrick."

"Bella," I smile, shaking his hand.

"I'd like to be the first to welcome you to Hawaii," he smiles, escorting me down the red carpet on the tarmac.

"Thank you," I nod at him, silently counting the minutes to where I'd be alone.

After a quick detour to the bathroom, I had to board a hydroplane and wait another 30 minutes to get where I was going. I breathe a sigh of relief, as the house comes into view.

"Wow," the pilot says, through the intercom. "Come up on hard times, huh?" he jokes, landing the plane by the dock.

"It was a tough year," I deadpan, as someone helps me down. "Finally," I say, looking at the vast amount of land before me.

The paparazzi are always hounding Charlie. His looks, intelligence, and fortune all serve to make him the perfect man and ideal catch to the American public. As a result, in addition to never having any time for me, he never has any privacy. One day, he decided to buy a small island off the coast of Maui. The only way to get to it would be by boat or hydroplane-which is perfect in my circumstance. It's 100 acres of plush green land, plants, trees, flowers, birds…and a 8 bedroom mansion on the edge of the island.

"Do you need…"

"No," I decline, not really caring what their question was going to be. "I've got it," I say.

"Have a lovely New Year," the man in the suit says, before the door closes on the plane.

"Bye," I wave, as the view of the plane grows smaller and smaller before disappearing into the air.

I sit down on the grass and dirt and look at the view in front of me. Large gusts of wind, combined with the scent and sound of the ocean assault my senses. I close my eyes and think of him…and how we had a moment like this…listening to the ocean and feeling utterly content.

The memory only serves to remind me that I'm not content at all. I close my eyes, willing myself to block my senses. I don't want to think about him now. I don't want to think about him ever. Another tear rolls down my face, as I open my eyes.

I'll never not think of him.

A small wave crashes against the shore, while I gaze at the horizon. All I see is ocean.

I'm alone… and I hate it.

"FUUUUUUUUUCK!" I shout at the top of my lungs, throwing a rock off the cliff in frustration. I slam my face into my hands, once again feeling Grandma Masen's ring against my cheek. "Damn it," I hiss, taking the ring off of my finger and bounce it up and down in my hand.

I suddenly feel conflicted. I would have thought that I'd be tempted to chuck it off the pier but I can't. I hate to admit to myself that the small golden ring means a lot to me. Besides, it's a family heirloom. I'm pretty sure Esme wants it back. I find myself feeling a little silly that my hand feels like it's missing something. I only had the thing for like four days.

I guess it's like an amputated limb. You still feel it, after it's gone.

I turn my attention to the emerging sun, temporarily distracting me with its beauty. It's only 5 in the morning here, due to the time change. The sun provides a small glimmer of light, complete with red and pink undertones. I can't help it. I smile even though I don't want to. It's a beautiful sight.

It amazes me how smiling has become such a foreign concept to me now. Within 24 hours, I lost my will to show any form of happiness. Maybe that's what happened to my parents. All the bitterness and heartbreak destroyed their ability to love anyone but themselves.

Am I doomed to that life? Is it in my genes to be unfeeling?

I've always categorized myself and not being a particularly 'feeling' person. I used to pride myself on this. I loved that I was able to see things beyond how they made me feel. Even Victoria accepted this about me and didn't question it. I was content in my emotional solitude.

Then, I met him.

He made me laugh.

He made me feel secure.

He made me feel loved.

He made me love him.

He made me feel.

It never occurred to me that I was changing until just now. I felt a lot of things. Shame. Anger. Worst of all…I felt hurt. Alone. I'd felt the latter two emotions a lot in my lifetime…but never in this magnitude.

It took me feeling like I actually belonged somewhere to realize how alone I really was.

What's worse? Being alone or feeling alone?

This thought session soon becomes too much and I find myself walking to the house.

I flick on the lights and immediately fell dwarfed by the sheer size of the house. I'd never stayed here before so it's new to me. The lights create an eerie glow in the house, due to it still being dark outside. Expensive hardwood floors, impeccable works of art, state of the art…everything. Yep. My father designed this house. I press a button, causing the curtains on the floor-to-ceiling- windows to draw back, giving me a stunning view of the island. It's full of tropical flowers, butterflies, and exotic birds buzzing around. I take notice of the pool nearby.

My stomach growling interrupts the tour of the house. It is then that I realize I hadn't had anything to eat since Ed…he and I went to McDonald's on New Year's Eve. That was two days ago. After a brief search, I find the kitchen. Luckily, Dad must have had someone bring food to the house because the fridge is stocked. I'm still pretty tired, so I put some grapes, strawberries, kiwi, and cantaloupe in a bowl and eat it with bottled water. I take a shower afterwards and collapse on the couch.

_"I love you, Bella," he says, kissing down my neck. _

_"I love you too," I run my fingers through his hair, as his lips descend further…_

"Uh…" I cover my eyes with the back of my hand. "Shit," I mutter, currently being blinded by the sun. I get up and draw the curtains.

My stomach growls again, signaling me that I'm still hungry. I make a quick breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast. It's a nice day so I sit on a lounge chair outside and enjoy the scenery. At least I tried to. I stare at the ocean, trying to forget. Not forget. I'll never forget. I'm trying to…not think.

The sun reflects off of the shore, as I see a group of birds flying around. They look like they might be parrots. I marvel at the sight…until they land about 15 feet away from me.

"O-kay," I stare at the birds, standing my ground. I will not be moved. They flock hovered over the concrete another two feet, as if they were calling my bluff.

They win.

I calmly get my plate and cup and make my way towards the door. It is there that I see a big blue bird near the entrance.

"Take it easy," I say in a soothing voice, stepping around the odd looking animal. As soon as the last word leaves my mouth, an array of blue, gold, and green feathers shoot up from the birds back.

Oh God.

It's ready to attack.

"AHHHHHHH!" I yell, shutting the door and causing all of the birds to fly away-with the exception of the peacock because it can't fly.

Fucking birds!

"I hate those fuckers," I mumble, triggering a flashback.

_"Sthafforom Sthuccotash!"_

"Oh God," I whimper, my eyes becoming blurry. "Fuck," I fall on the couch and kick the table nearby.

I find myself cradling my knees against my chest, yet again. This time, I don't fight it. I think of him.

His eyes.

His crooked smile.

How he stutters when he's nervous about something.

How awkward he acted when I saw his junk.

How good his touch felt.

How soft his lips were.

How good he felt inside me.

I miss him. I hate it but I do. I hate the fact that even though he hurt me, I still miss him. I wish he were here. Even if it were so I could give him a swift kick to the balls. I wish he was here with me.

I curl into myself on the couch and cry until my head hurts. I sit there, thinking about everything for what feels like hours.

I get bored.

"Ugh," I wipe my nose and search for something to do. As a result of my breakfast fiasco, I'm scared to leave the house without some form of protection so exploring the island is out of the question. So I do the next best thing and explore the house.

It's a standard mansion with overindulgent bedrooms, bathrooms that are the size of bedrooms, big walk-in closets, and a gym that would make any member of Bally's feel welcome. I come across a room at the end of the hallway. I open the door to find a room with a flat screen big enough to engulf a wall, a shelf full of DVDs and books, and a computer.

"Great," I sigh, sitting at the desk in from of the computer.

I turn the TV on to see if I can get anything decent to watch

. I settle for watching The Departed on Showtime.

*Plink!*

"What the Hell?" I ask, looking down to the computer.

"It's about time you found a computer," Dad crosses his arms. "I was afraid you were dead."

"Too soon," I roll my eyes, looking at the TV screen.

"Uh…" he draws out, the standstill in our conversation making both of us feel uncomfortable. "How are you?"

"That's a dumb question," I point out.

I just caught my ex getting a hand job from his fat ex-girlfriend. How does he think I'm doing?

"You can't fault me for wanting to know if you're okay," he rolls his eyes.

"Thanks. I guess," I say, watching the part when Matt Damon shoots Jack Nicholson. Rat bastard.

"Pay attention," he orders, as the TV screen turns off.

"Really?" I ask, looking in his eyes. "You could have asked."

"You would have said 'no,'' he excuses.

"Fine," I shrug my shoulders. "What's so important that you need to talk to _me_?"

He must have another angle.

"I just want to see how you're doing," he says.

"I'm fine," I lie.

"Bella," he sighs, scratching his forehead. "Alec told me what happened," he tells me.

"Who's that?"

"The guy who escorted you to the island," he says like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"The man in the suit," I nod in recognition.

"I just want to tell you that it's okay to be…" he looks for a word. "upset."

"Can we not talk about…"

"Edward told me that you two weren't really engaged," he drops a bomb.

Shit. This is the last thing I need…a lesson from Daddy Dearest.

"I…I…I…" I fumble my words, suddenly speechless. That's not what I was expecting at all.

"I'm not going to judge your or say 'I told you so'," he shakes his head. "Let's leave that to your mother."

"Mom knows too?!" I ask, mortified.

She'll never let me live this down. She'll only be furious that she has to cancel the fabulous wedding she was planning without my permission.

"Give me some credit," he rolls his eyes. "I'm not that cruel."

"Oh," I shrink back into my seat. "Thank you."

"What I can't figure out is…" he pauses. "if you two were faking it, why are you so upset?" he asks.

I put my head in my hands, trying to figure out a way to explain it. I can't.

"It just…happened," I decide to give a short version.

"Elaborate," he drills at me.

I should have known that wouldn't work.

"It's just…one day I'm helping him with this favor and the next day I love him," I shrug, wiping moisture from my eye.

"What favor?"

"Here we go," I huff, going into the whole story. I leave nothing out…except for the sex parts. I'd rather die than admit that to my dad. I don't care if he's a million miles away.

"Wait a minute," he chuckles. "The ring got stuck on your finger…and they thought you were engaged?"

"Yep," I pop the 'p'. "Then, his mom started crying about how happy she was so I was too hurt to tell her," I pause. "Then, you and mom showed up and it went to Hell in a hand basket pretty quickly."

"Well…" he taps his chin. "I never approved of him" he starts. "First, you get in a bar fight. Then, you almost die…"

"He told you that?" I ask, confused.

I didn't know they talked about that? Why didn't he tell me?

It would have pissed me off.

"He mentioned something about you hitting Riley over the head with a beer bottle," he smiles. "He wanted me to be prepared in case the fucker came after you for assault," he informs. "He was protecting you, even though he knew you'd probably be mad," he smiles. "Oh! Look," he grins sinisterly as he shows me a paper. It's Riley's picture and resume with the words _Fucking Idiot_ written across it. "I faxed this to every major company in the world," he laughs. "He'll be lucky to get a job at Dairy Queen."

"Thanks," I smile through my tears. That made me feel a little better.

"He loves you," he tells me. "He really does love you."

"Pssh," I huff.

"Oh," is all I could muster.

"Do you love him?" he asks me. "Be honest with yourself."

"Mhmm," I nod my head and immediately hate myself for it. "It doesn't matter though," I say softly.

If he loved me, he wouldn't have gotten a hand job from his ex-girlfriend.

"Yes, it does," he argues. "It's the only thing that matters."

"Enlighten me," I challenge.

"If you love him…really love him, then you can find it in your heart to forgive him," he says. "Make him work for it. Give him Hell…but forgive him."

I stare at the screen in awe. Is this man my father? Is this the man who has bought and dismantled entire companies within hours? Is this the man who uproots people and their families just because it better suits his aims for the year?

I'm talking to a fucking hologram. I knew it.

"Are you fucking serious?" I ask. "I catch him…getting a hand job…from his ex-girlfriend…and you want me to forgive him."

"It's your call," he puts his hands up in surrender. "You love him," he reminds me. "It's your decision whether or not that love warrants a second chance."

"Great."

"I wish someone had this conversation with me," he says with a softer tone.

Did I hear him correctly?

"What?" I ask, leaning forward to the screen.

"I know everyone thinks that I only married your mother because she was pretty," he rolls his eyes. "At first, that's why I liked her but I grew to love her. I honestly loved her," he smiles faintly. "I wasn't the best husband. I was never there for her or you. Next thing I know, she's with Phil," he shrugs.

Woah. I feel my eyebrows shoot into my hairline at this news. Mom left Dad for Phil? I always thought they just decided one day that they hated each other.

"I didn't…"

"Not many people do," he cuts me off. "You know what?" he asks.

"What?" I ask, interested.

"If she came to me and apologized…told me she was sorry…and meant it," he paused. "I would have forgiven her…no questions asked," he confides in me. "Maybe if I apologized she would have done the same."

"But…" I start. "She cheated on you…she took your money…she took me away…"

"She was angry. We both were," he shrugs it off.

"But…"

"Bella," he interrupts me. "You can't love and have pride at the same time," he shakes his head. "You can't forgive and have pride at the same time either," he pauses, staring at something off screen. "That's what happened to us," he says. "I like to think that she was sending me a message…telling me she was lonely and that other men wanted her. However, I kept going on and on about 'How dare you do this to me? Do you know who I am?'" he sighs. "Looking back, we still loved each other. We could have gotten past it. We just didn't. Our egos and our pride got in the way. That turned into bitterness. That turned into _hatred_," he pauses. "Not our divorce."

"I just…" I start to whimper. "I miss him. I miss us," I say, looking at the tan line that was starting to form on my ring finger.

"No one wants to be lonely," he says.

"This shit sucks," I pout, looking out the window.

"Who are you telling?" I see him, rummaging around his desk. "Look in one of the drawers in that desk," he orders.

"Huh?" I ask, following his orders. I giggle, when I come across a half bottle of tequila and a shot glass.

"Good," he smiles, taking out a similar shot glass and a bottle of vodka. "On three," he says, pouring himself a shot.

"I'm under 21."

"Stop being a smartass," he chuckles, counting down.

"Ahhh," I shake my head, feeling the burn travel down my throat. "Good stuff."

"Of course," he smiles, staring at me.

Silence engulfs us. However, for the first time it's not awkward. The only sound I hear is the air conditioning blowing through the house.

"You know I love you. Right?" he asks, looking scared of my answer.

I look at him, showing him how out of field I think that question is. Next, I think, and pour another shot. Then, I think some more.

"Well…" I take a shot. "Sometimes it's difficult to tell," I say honestly. "You made a shitty move…bailing out on my engagement party," I remind him.

"Well…I do," he replies, matching my shot. "I'm sorry about missing your engagement party…and your birthday…"

"The past 8 of them," I add.

He nods his head and keeps going. "and…your graduation…"

"I get it," I cut him off. "You're sorry."

"No," he says, sternly. "I really am sorry. I should have been there. Now, you're all grown up and I've missed it."

"You didn't miss much," I wave it off.

"Yes, I did. You're an amazing woman. I wish I could say I had a hand in that but I can't," he voices sadly. "It's my fault and I'm sorry."

"Okay," I smile at him. "You're forgiven."

"I wish I was there more," he confides. "Maybe you wouldn't hate me."

"I don't hate you," I shake my head, profusely. "There's some mild resentment…but not hate."

"That makes me feel better," he huffs, taking another shot.

"You can get rid of resentment," I smirk.

"Here's hoping," he leans his head back.

"I feel awkward," I admit.

"Me too," he says, quickly. "How do you like the house?"

"It's okay," I look around. "What's with all the exotic birds?" I ask. "I almost got eaten by a peacock this morning," I shiver, thinking about those beady little eyes.

"Oh," he perks up. "The island is full of exotic and endangered animals," he informs.

"WHAT?!" I ask.

I don't know whether to be afraid or proud of my father.

"A couple years ago, one of the companies did some logging in some…exotic place," he says, looking disappointed that he can't remember where it was. "Anyway, the locals kept bitching about how it was going to kill of some species. I had two pairs of each animal-two male and two female- transported to the island…kinda like Noah's Ark," he smirks. "It's to keep the tree huggers happy."

"Oh," I say. "I'm glad that you're helping poor animals…even if it's to help yourself."

"It's mostly birds and insects. They stay to their part of the island. Every now and then, I have people go check to see they're still alive," he says. "Oh!" he gets up from his seat. "There are some komodo dragons on the south edge of the island. Those fuckers can be tricky," he warns.

"Thanks," I deadpan.

I'm definitely staying in the house.

"Promise that you'll think about what I've said," he urges me.

"Okay."

"Plus," he pauses. "Everything might not be what it seems," he says.

What?

"I feel like you should be told in person. It's all very…All My Children," he chuckles. "I didn't believe it when I first heard it."

"What are you talking abo…"

*Plink*

"DAD!" I shout at the empty screen. "Shit," I pout and cross my arms.

Now, I'm more confused than ever.

I sit at the desk, thinking about what he said.

What might not be what it seems?

"I'm so over riddles," I complain.

I walk around the house and end up by the tall windows downstairs. I peek my head out of the window and see no forms of wildlife. It's nice weather so I decide to go for a swim. Since I have no bathing suit, I resort to stripping down to my bra and panties before jumping in the water.

I take my time in the water, thinking over my conversation with Charlie, as I do my laps. Could it be that simple? Could "Sorry" and "I forgive you" really hold that much power? I love Edward. Would it be possible to just take "I'm sorry" after what I saw?

My inner monologue is interrupted by the feeling of something against my shoulder.

Awww fuck. It's a bird.

"Ah!" I shout, having a Jaws moment.

"Woof!" I hear a…bark?"

"What?" I look around before a familiar wet brown and black hairball jumps on my chest. "Snooki!" I smile, as my dog rubs her wet head against my face. "Aww…I missed you too," I kiss her, snuggling her to my chest.

"She missed you," I hear his voice say to me.

I turn my head to look at him. He's standing by the edge of the pool. He has on a white button down shirt, khaki pants, and Chucks on. He's holding his backpack like it holds the answers to the world. He looks good. However, his face is plagued by the bags under his eyes. I stare at his deep green eyes and immediately know that he feels how I feel.

He looks miserable.

Good.

"You forgot to go get her," he starts, as I start swimming to the steps to get out of the pool. "I-I I…I thought that maybe…"

"What are you doing here, Edward," I ask, finally out of the pool.

It wasn't until I felt his stare that I remembered that I was in my underwear. I suddenly became self- conscious.

"Here," he says, unbuttoning his shirt and giving it to me.

"Thank you," I say, turning around to put it on.

"Bella," he starts, and I feel him coming closer to me. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" I ask, turning to where I wouldn't have to face him. "I just…why?" I ask, every inch of my resolve not to cry dwindling.

"It's not what you think…"

"Don't say that," I hiss, walking away. "Don't you dare insult me by saying that."

"I wasn't!" he calls after me. "As soon as I heard her I knew it wasn't you."

"Really?" I ask, unimpressed. "A nine and a half hour journey and that's the best you can come up with?"

"It's the truth!" he turns me around to look at him. "I don't love Tanya. I love…"

"Don't," I interrupt him, crying. "Don't say that."

He can't love me.

"I love you," he whimpers to me, on the verge of tears. "I love you," he keeps repeating. "I'd never betray you. Never."

"I know what I saw," I try to move away from him.

"She tried to trap me, Bella," he holds on to me tighter. "He tried to trap me but I wouldn't let her."

"Stop."

"Tanya is pregnant," he says.

"What?!"I cry out, trying harder to get way. "This is what you wanted to tell me?"

"It's not mine!" he cries out. "Come on, Bella," he says, hallway rolling his eyes.

I calm down long enough to know at least he's telling the truth about that. I guess my hysteria temporarily inhibited my math skills.

"Oh."

"She's pregnant with Riley's baby and she tried to seduce me so I'd think it was mine," he informs me.

So she was getting fat. I find myself smirking at the thought of Tanya getting fatter.

Whore. She deserves it.

Wait a minute.

"She still gave you a hand job…"

"No…well…not really," his hold strengthens on me again. "My body reacted and for that I'm sorry," he says. "As soon as I realized that she wasn't you, I kicked her out," he tells me. "You'll always have that image of me and I'm sorry. You've…"

"But…"

"I love you," he says kissing my forehead. "I chose you because I love you," he kisses me again. "I love you more than I ever loved her," he grabs me tighter. "What Tanya and I had was based on her control and my fear. She wanted a Cullen. She didn't want me," he shakes his head. "I'm happy that she broke my heart because if she didn't I wouldn't know what it was like to really be loved," he says, a tear slipping down his face. "Bella, I need you. I'm sorry what you saw hurt you but I would never do that to you intentionally. Please believe me."

"Uh…" I pause, on overload from all this information. "I…"

"I'm not leaving until you forgive me," he says.

"I…need…to…"

"I'll give you a minute," he says softly, letting me go.

"O-kay," I mumble, sitting on the sofa.

"I uh…I made you something," he grabs a package and places it on my lap.

"What?" I ask…still on overload.

"Can you open it when I'm not here?" he asks, shyly. "It's gonna be weird."

"Mhm," I nod, staring at the dark blue wrapping paper.

"I'll be in the shower," he says, walking upstairs.

What the Hell?

I touch the cheek he kissed and I smile through my dried tears. I don't know how I should be feeling. Confused? Angry? All I know is that I'm happy.

"I'm sorry" is enough.

I know because just knowing he's here, after everything, makes me smile when I thought it was impossible. I know because even though he's only going to go shower I miss him like crazy.

It's enough.

He's enough.

"EDWARD!" I call after him, running upstairs. I didn't have to run far because I smashed into his back and I fall on my ass.

"Oof," he huffs, as the air leaves his body. "What?"

Wiping my tears, for the last time," I get up and wrap my arms around him.

"I love you," I say in his ear. "It's okay."

"Did you…"

"It doesn't matter," I start. "If you did it, I still would have forgiven you." I hug him tighter. "I love you and I don't want to be without you," I say in his ear. "I would have kicked you in the balls though," I giggle a little. "It doesn't matter. It never mattered."

"Bella," he smiles, kissing me. "Don't leave me again," he begs me. "Please, don't leave me again. It killed me," he says, between kisses.

I look in his eyes and see the torment in them and realize this was just as hard for me as it was for him.

"I'm…"

"How could you think that?" he asks. "How could you think I'd do that to you?" he questions, with a hurt voice.

I look in his eyes and feel horrible. I can imagine how that would have made him feel.

"I've never had someone care for me like you," I look at him. "I almost didn't want to believe it. I was scared to believe it," I admit. "So when I saw you and Tanya together it was easier to believe that you didn't love me rather than believe you loved me and still did that," I tell him.

"You didn't let me explain," he says, still hugging me. "You just left."

"I'm sorry," I apologize. "I was being selfish," I admit.

"I just…love you," he kisses me. "Not again. Okay?" he asks, pulling my chin up so I can meet his eyes.

"I promise," I just stare in his eyes.

I missed him.

"Don't take a shower yet," I say. "I want to cuddle with you," I tell him.

"So demanding," he jokes picking me up and walking to the nearest bedroom.

"Shut up," I pull him close to me on the bed.

"I take it that you liked your gift," he smiles, nuzzling his nose in my neck.

"I haven't opened it yet," I tell him.

"What?" he asks. "You haven't…"

"Nuh uh," I shake my head. "I had to tell you…"

"I'll be back," he hops out the bed and races downstairs. "You were supposed to open it," he chides me, giving me the box.

"It can wait," I smile, kissing him.

"Now," he says, patting the box.

"Party pooper," I squint at him, tearing the blue paper off. I open the box to see a…book?

"A book?" I ask, smelling the leather cover. "Fancy."

"Open it," he blushes, turning to where his back is facing me.

"What the…"

"I don't want to see your face when you read it," he says.

"Your back is turning red," I tease him, poking his spine.

"Just read it please."

"Fine," I roll my eyes and open the book.

_Once Upon A Time, in a land far far away, there lived a prince named Edward. Everyone loved Edward, as he was the most handsome man in the kingdom. _

There is a rather impressive stick figure that has a likeness to Edward. He's wearing a crown and has reddish- brown hair that is long and sticking up everywhere.

_All the women loved him but he only had eyes for a young maiden named Tanya. He loved her. However, she refused him. This left Edward very sad. He was so sad; in fact, he fled the kingdom in shame. _

The next page has two pictures. The first picture is of many lady stick figures making goo goo eyes at Prince Edward. A thick black diagonal line separates the second picture of Prince Edward riding off on a horse with a broken heart.

_The heartbroken place settled in a neighboring kingdom. Prince Edward was still sad. Yes…very sad indeed. He didn't talk to anyone, choosing to devote his life to helping people. He thought if he helped others he wouldn't feel as sad. _

Below the sentence is a picture of Prince Edward sitting at a table with a frownie face with a thought bubble that has the symbol for medicine on it.

_One day, Prince Edward lost his way. Then, he heard a beautiful sound. He followed the beautiful song, wanting a glimpse of the talented musician. _

It shows stick-figure Edward walking down a path of musical notes on a page and leaving footprints.

_What he saw was better than music. He saw a beautiful fairy playing the harp for her friends. _

Now, Prince Edward is staring through a window looking at a fairy with long green hair and giant wings. Musical notes are emitting from a harp and all those around her look happy.

_Prince Edward stared at the beautiful fairy, hypnotized by her song. It wasn't until he was flying into the mud that he was aware she'd stopped playing. _

The next picture is of the fairy princess opening a door and Prince Edward flies across the rest of the page.

_"Oh, no!" cried the beautiful fairy. "I'm sorry. I didn't see you," she apologizes. Prince Edward didn't mind. He was caught up in the young fairy's beauty whose name was Bella. _

_"She's a beautiful fairy," he thought. But she wasn't an ordinary fairy. She had magical powers that turned her hair different colors. _

_"I'm sorry," she cries, her hair turning black._

_"It's okay," said Prince Edward. _

_After she helped him, Prince Edward thanked the fairy and left on his way._

Red spots litter the page, as the now green- and -black-haired fairy helps Prince Edward while a fairy with red hair laughs in the corner. Victoria. Later in the page, Prince Edward walks off the page, waving at the fairy.

_Time passes and Prince Edward still thinks about the fairy._

_"Wow! She sure was beautiful," he says to himself._

_Prince Edward thought the fairy was beautiful but he was still in love with the young maiden Tanya. _

_When he was least expecting it, Prince Edward saw Bella again. She didn't look happy. _

_"I can't find my dog," she pouts. _

_"I'll help you!" Prince Edward volunteers._

_The two search the land and fine Bella's pet friend. _

Now, stick-figured Bella mad and her hair is now red. Edward then pops up in a hero pose, ready to save the day. The two figures journey around the page until Snooki pops up.

_The Prince and the fairy soon become friends. They talk about everything. Their friends. Their families. School. Most of all…they debate about the ways of the force. When he sees Bella crying one day, her hair now a dark blue, he vows to be her friend forever. They spend the night drinking and being merry. _

It shows our stick figures in different situations. My stick figure is looking at a math book pissed and shouting with Edward helping her. There is one with a stick figure Victoria passed out on the couch. The biggest one is my figure with Darth Vader in a thought bubble and Edward's bubble has Luke Skywalker in it and we're arguing.

I giggle at that.

In the corner of the book is Bella sitting at a table with blue hair crying and Edward hugging her. Then, it shows us passed out with a bottle of vodka.

_One day, a woman sees Edward and Bella walking in the park. She was a spy working for an evil witch. By the time they got back, everyone knew about Edward and Bella. But they didn't think they were friends. They thought they were boyfriend and girlfriend._

_Edward then got an idea. If people thought Bella was his girlfriend, he could go home. Edward missed his family but was scared to go home and be embarrassed._

_"Okay," Bella agrees reluctantly. She knew how important his family was so she agreed to help him…even though it meant she wouldn't be able to use her magic. _

A blonde-haired stick figure runs to tell a masked creature, pointing at me and Edward. Then, it shows the Denalis and the Cullens talking to each other on the phone. Next, it shows Bella taking off her magic hair, leaving it brown.

_The two friends travel to Edward's kingdom. Everyone in the land was happy to have their Prince back. They missed him so much…especially the Queen. _

_Bella was scared to leave her home. She'd never been around humans before. She was scared they wouldn't like her because she was a fairy._

_She had no reason to worry because everyone in the kingdom loved her. _

_Everywhere she went, everyone loved Bella because of her beauty, talent, and grace. _

_Everyone loved her but the young maiden Tanya and her family. They didn't like that Prince Edward liked her…not one bit. Lady Heidi, Tanya's mother, hated her. _

It shows a copper haired lady stick figure hugging Edward really tight, while the other members of the Cullen family and other people dance around me. The Denalis are in a corner, staring daggers at me.

_One night, Bella tried on a beautiful ring. It got stuck and she asked Prince Edward for help. It was too late; everyone thought the two friends were getting married. _

_Bella tried to tell the truth but she didn't want to hurt the Queens feelings. The friends decided to pretend. _

_That night, Edward began to like Bella…but not as a friend. _

_"Does she like me too?" he asked himself, too afraid of being rejected again. _

Alice's stick figure yelling, as Edward and I look confused make me giggle.

The next picture shows Edward looking at me out the side of his eye and he's shaking.

_The next morning, a loud trumpet could be heard throughout the land. The King and Queen of the fairies wanted to speak with Bella. _

_It turns out that Bella was no ordinary fairy. She was a princess and sole heir to the throne of the fairies. The King didn't like Edward because he wasn't a fairy. Bella didn't care. She loved him. He was her friend._

_The King was mean to Edward and this made Bella sad. _

Now, my character has a crown on her head and she's staring at the King, Queen, and…I guess… step dad with squinting eyes. Charlie's character hits Edward with a pre-nup and I start crying.

_Edward wasn't mad at Bella though because he loved her. Not as a friend but as a boyfriend loves a girlfriend. He wanted to keep her safe…and he did. One night, Bella and Edward went to a party with their friends. An evil knight from a neighboring land tried to hurt Bella. Edward saved her. Then, Bella saved Edward. _

I roll my eyes, as I see a picture of Edward defending me against ducks. It later depicts Riley grabbing my arms…Edward punching him. The icing on the cake is me hitting Riley with a beer bottle so hard that my body elevates in the air.

_The Prince felt terrible that he wasn't there to protect his beloved princess. _

_"I love you," Edward blurts to the princess. _

_The Princess didn't say anything. She just stared at Edward. This made him nervous. _

_"She doesn't love me," he thought, feeling worse than when the young maiden rejected him. _

_But she did love him. She loved him very much._

_To show their love, the Prince and Princess gave each other a very special kiss. _

It's a simple picture of Edward and me kissing between a giant heart with an arrow shot through it.

_The Prince and Princess were very happy and wanted to live happily ever after. Everyone wanted this too…but the Denalis._

_It turns out, the young maiden and her mother were both evil witches out to steal the Prince's throne and his wealth. To do this, they hatched an evil plot._

_The old witch replaced Bella's glass with a goblet filled with a poison that was deadly to fairies. What the witch didn't know is that Bella had magic in her blood. When she drank from the poisonous goblet, she didn't die but slept for 100 years._

_The heartbroken Prince stayed by her side, refusing to age until he would be able to be with her again. One day he woke up to find the Princess was gone. _

_"Where did she go?" Edward cried. _

A cup radiating a green glow, followed by me passing out unconscious covers most of the page. Next, it's a spinning clock and Edward standing by my bed. Then, he's alone crying.

_Before his beloved drank from the poisonous glass, the young maiden tried to seduce Prince Edward. The Prince, however, had grown immune to her charms. Unfortunately, Bella had seen the maiden with Edward and assumed she no longer had his love. Edward didn't have enough time to tell her that she was the only one who truly held his heart. _

_Only one man knew where his Bella was. Edward, knowing the King of the fairies despises him, begs to tell where Bella is. The King knew of his daughter's suffering and was unwilling to help him, at first. _

_But the power of love prevailed and the King told Edward where Bella was. _

_Bella was keeping herself locked away in a castle far far way…but Edward was determined to get there. _

_After a little help from the King, Edward was standing at the front door of the castle._

With glossy eyes, I flip to the next page to see that it's blank.

"Where's the rest of it?" I ask, wiping my eyes.

"I wasn't going to write the ending without knowing what was going to happen," he says softly, shrugging his shoulders. "You were so upset the last time I saw you, I didn't know how you'd react."

"It's perfect," I kiss him, flipping through the pages. "Thank you," I cry tears of joy. "It's so sweet."

I can't think of another man on the planet that would do that.

He made a fairy tale about us.

"Bella?" he asks, scooting off the bed…and down to the floor…on one knee.

Oh Shit!

"Edw…"

"It doesn't have glass slippers…or dancing teacups…or anything like that," he starts. "but our love is a fairytale. To see two people with our history, find each other it has to be magic," he smiles. "I love you. Marry me?" he asks, taking Grandma Masen's ring out of his pocket. "For real?"

"Yes," I nod my head.

"Yes?" he asks, smiling.

"Yes," I kiss him, yanking him up to the bed by his belt. "Yes," I move my lips down his neck, unbuttoning his shirt and throwing it across the room.

"I need you," he breathes against my skin, before I feel the air hitting my now exposed chest.

"Always," I suck his earlobe into my mouth, and takes off my panties.

"I missed you," he sighs, pushing inside of me. "I missed this," his breath catches when I feel him move inside me.

"Me too," I moan, arching my back at the sensation.

He feels so good inside me. He always does. We take our time with each other. We each have something to prove. He looks in my eyes, promising me to never hurt me. I take my hand and place it over his heart, promising never to leave him. Our breathing picks up, as we both hit our peak crying out each other's name. Afterwards, we just hold each other.

"I love you," he hugs me

"I love you," I kiss his chest.

"Nice house," he looks around and out the window.

"It's infested with exotic animals," I complain. "I don't see the big deal."

"What kind of animals?" he asks, turning to look at me.

"I almost got eaten by a peacock," I tell him.

"Bella," he laughs at me. "There is no way a peacock could eat a human being."

"You didn't see it," I argue. "This place is crawling with birds," I snuggle into him.

"I'll protect you," he kisses the top of my head.

"You better," I warn playfully.

He smells my hair and kisses me.

"This is a nice place, though," I say, after a short silence.

"Yeah," he smiles.

"We can stay here forever," I joke, kissing him.

"Without going outside?" he jokes.

"You can go," I chuckle. "I'll just stay inside."

"Perfect."

"You can be my kept man," I smile, running my fingers through his chest hair.

"No thanks," he pushes my hand away. "I have no interest in living off of your father's money."

"Mr. Cullen," I gasp, feigning hurt. "I'll have you know that I am an independently wealthy lady."

"Really?" he asks, impressed. "Like how?"

"In addition to my trust fund, both of them, I made some very lucrative investments," I smile, wagging my eyebrows. "I'm self- sustaining."

"How self-sustaining?" he asks, after a short silence.

"Enough."

"Bella," he draws out. "How much?"

"Enough," I smile at him.

"Don't…"

"Enough," I cut him off, slipping out of bed.

"You really aren't gonna tell me?" he asks, in disbelief.

"Maybe," I wink at him. "You still want that shower?" I ask, walking into the bathroom.

"I guess," he smirks, running after me.

_And they lived happily ever after._

**I'm working on the epi now for EW. You can expect it in a couple of weeks. **


	25. Chapter 25

**It's time for the epi. I can't believe this little story is over. Thanks for all the love. See you at the bottom!**

**EPOV**

8 years later…

"Aww man," the little boy huffs and sits on the table. "I feel fine."

"Hush," the blonde woman admonishes the child. "He's been coughing the past few days."

"No, I haven't," the child disagrees. "Why are you lyin-"

"Stewart!" the boy's mother shouts.

"Okay. Okay," I check the child over. Once I check everything I come to the conclusion that he's fine.

"See," he smiles.

"It's okay, buddy," I ruffle his hair. "Your mom just wants you to be okay," I chuckle as he hops off the table. I give him a lollipop and a high five.

"Okay," Kevin smiles and races out of the room.

"Doctor," the overprotective mother quickly steps back in the room. "I was wondering if you would like to…"

"Sorry," I point to the ring on my left hand. "I already have somebody who loves me at home," I interrupt.

I look awkwardly over the room. This happens pretty frequently. In spite of my wedding ring women still try to hit on me. I fight the urge to laugh. If the women ever met my wife I'm sure they'd immediately know they couldn't compete.

"Oh, no," she waves her hands profusely. "I was just…going to…"

"Your next appointment is waiting," Maggie, a nurse speaks.

"Okay," I step outside and Kevin's mother rushes out of the room. "Thanks," I whisper.

"That's the third one today," the nurse giggles, throwing a needle in the waste bin.

"Third what?" I ask, filling out a chart.

"The third desperate single mother who dragged her perfectly healthy child to the doctor so she could see that pretty little face," she answers in a childlike voice.

"Sure," I laugh at her expression and switch charts for my next appointment.

Once I started my residency I quickly learned that I'd found a calling in pediatrics. There was a certain rush I got from helping a child feel better. Good hours. Good pay. Plus, kids say the cutest things. I ended up starting a small practice downtown. Business was good so far.

"What's up, Doctor Cullen," Stacy, one of my regular patients waves.

"Hey, rock star," I smile at her, checking her chart. "It looks like someone needs their shots."

"Nooooo!"

Shit.

Five hours and several patients later I found myself in my driveway.

I see a little figure peek through the blinds and a smile erupts across my face.

"Daddy!" my daughter runs to my car holding Snooki in her arms. Her long blonde curls bounces with her movements.

Blonde hair. I know. Bella and I were surprised too.

"Carlie Bear," I hop out the car and take her in my arms. I take in her wardrobe choice for the day. Today, she's chosen a pajama top, a tutu, zebra leggings, and cowboy boots. She's her mother's daughter.

"You're home," she kisses my cheek.

"Yep," I nod, kissing her forehead. "Did you get prettier while I was gone?"

"Uh huh," she blushes, flinging her arms around my neck. "I miss you," she informs as I walk through the door.

"Where is your gorgeous Mommy?" I ask rubbing Snooki's head.

"Right here," my beautiful wife grins and helps Carlie down and takes the dog and sets it on the floor.

I take the time to look her over. She has on a black and white polka dot top, purple wide leg pants, her lovely black and purple bangles, and black oxford shoes. It goes well with the purple stripe she died in her hair.

It's sexy as hell.

"There we go," I smile back and attack her in the doorway. Her lips. Her cheeks. Her chin. I love every inch of her…as best I can in front of the kids.

"I missed you today," she breathes against my lips before leaning back in for another kiss. Her arms travel from my neck to my chest. "So much," her head tilts up to look at me. Her brown eyes stare into me and I lose myself.

I fall in love all over again.

"How did I get so lucky?" I rest my head on her chin, thinking of what happened when we got married.

"_So…" Dad starts out, the confusion on his face evident. _

_This is so embarrassing. _

"_You and Bella weren't really dating when you came here," Emmett states. _

"_You just didn't want us to think you were a loser…even though you kinda were."_

"_James!" Victoria punches him._

"_What?" he rubs his arm. _

"_Mmmhmm," I nod awkwardly and look everywhere but the Skype screen. _

"_You're just really good friends," Alice adds._

"_Yep," Victoria nods. _

"_Wait!" Jasper interjects. "Why did Victoria come?"_

"_I just felt like it," Bella's best friends smiles and shirks. _

"_Okay," everyone nods._

_We stare at each other in silence until Mom breaks it. _

"_Bella tried on my grandmother's ring…by accident," Mom says. _

"_Yeeeah," Bella nods her head. _

"_You didn't find out about Bella's parents until we did," Em gets a word in. _

"_So…basically…it was all a lie," Dad asks._

"_No!" I shout at the same time Bella shouts, "Yes!"_

"_I mean the relationship was a lie at first," I admit. _

"_But we really did like each other before then. We were just too wrapped up in our own personal shit…excuse me, Esme" Bella covers her mouth. _

"_It's okay," Mom waves it off. _

"_Then, we got scared."_

"_I thought it was unlikely for her to see me as more than a friend."_

"_Impossible," Bella shakes her head. "You're perfect," she smiles at me. "He's perfect," she says to the screen. "Then I was scared because I didn't think you liked me because of Tanya," Bella pouts at me. _

"_Baby," I kiss her. "She hadn't been on my radar in weeks."_

"_I didn't know," she excuses. _

"_Why didn't you come clean after the ring?" Mom asks. _

"_You were so happy and well…you cried," Bella admits. "If you cried when you were happy I didn't want to see how you were when you were sad or angry."_

"_Woah," Lexi and Megan shake their heads and look at each other. _

"_We know. We know," Bella looks at me and lays her head in the crook of my shoulder. _

"_Then the whole thing with her parents and…we realized we were in love…for real," I admit, gazing into Bella's eyes. "Being without her for twelve hours was torture. I don't want to feel that ever again," I kiss her engagement ring._

"_So…" I lead off, looking for any sign of emotion of the faces of my family members. _

"_Uh…"_

"_Well…"_

"_Okay," Lexi and Megan shrug and run off camera. _

"_Wait," a look of realization comes across Alice's face. "Victoria knew the WHOLE time?!" she asks. _

_In that exact moment Victoria disappeared from the frame. _

"_Damn. She got me again," James shakes his head and goes to search for his girlfriend. _

"_So…" I lead again. _

"_It'll be a story to tell your grandkids," Dad laughs. Everyone joins in. _

"_Mhm," Bella runs her hands over my homemade book and looks in my eyes. We share a look and decide to give them the final secret. _

"_We're happy you feel that way," I lead off. "Because…"_

"_We're getting married," Bella says slowly. _

"_We figured that-"_

"_On Friday," Bella._

"_In Vegas."_

"_We'd appreciate it if you came."_

"_WHAT?"_

"_Shit!" I hiss, closing the laptop. _

"What are you thinking about?" Bella kissing my neck.

"Nothing," I shake my head, putting a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I'll get it out of you later," she smacks my ass.

"Really?" I look around for little eyes. When I don't see anyone, my hand inches up her shirt to grab her…

"Ewww," my daughter gags when Bella adds a little tongue.

Damn.

"How was work?" Bella unwraps her arms around me and sniffs me. "Rubbing alcohol never smelled so sexy," she smiles into my chest.

"Okay," my lips move to her neck. "Not nearly as good as coming home to you," I grin, taking a quick feel of her ass. I don't think the kids saw that.

"Really?" she asks, massaging my scalp with her fingers. "Well…"

"E-hem," a staged cough interrupts us before we got too out of hand.

"Wassup?" I kneel down to hug my EJ.

A couple weeks after we got back from our honeymoon Bella got sick. After I convinced her that food poisoning didn't last two weeks she took a pregnancy to confirm what I already knew. It seemed like we left our reunion in Hawaii with a gift.

I was going to be a daddy.

I won't lie. Bella and I were scared shitless at first. We hadn't even been married two months and we were already expecting. I lost count of how many times Bella cried in my arms with fear. She was terrified she'd mess up. Would she be there enough? Would our child know she loved them?

All our fears disappeared when Bella held Edward Anthony Cullen Jr. in her arms. To this day, I've never seen anything more beautiful than Bella holding my children. The night we brought him home from the hospital she told me she'd found her calling. She wanted to be there for our kids.

"Mini Me wants to show you something," Bella beams standing behind EJ.

Everyone says that EJ is my spitting image. I disagree. If you take away my crazy red hair and green eyes, he's all Bella.

"Mo-om," my son huffs. "Don't make it a big deal," he begs.

"It _is_ a big deal," my wife pushes EJ forward. "Show him."

"Here," my son yawns, handing me a progress report.

All A's and smiley faces. I beam with pride.

"Aww, buddy," I hug him. "This is great."

"Eh," he sighs. "It wasn't hard. The work is really easy," he shrugs and walks away.

I chuckle at his aloofness. He's part Swan after all. Only someone in that family would feel blasé' at being three levels ahead in reading, math, and science.

"Someone is having red velvet cupcakes for desert," Bella says nonchalantly.

"Really?!" EJ shouts running back to us. "Sweet!" he hugs and kisses his mother. "Thanks, Mom."

"Can I have chocolate?" Carlie asks, her big brown eyes sparkling at her mother. "I don't like red velvet," she pouts. She looks so much like her mother.

"Sweetie, your mom is making red velvet today," I pout back at her. "We'll have chocolate another day."

"But…"

"You should have asked sooner," I kiss her forehead. "I'm sorry."

"Mommy," Carlie busts out the big guns and hugs her leg. "Pleease."

Hugging your leg is Carlie's version of releasing the Kraken.

"Oh," Bella whimpers and looks at me. "It's just…"

"No, Carlie," I say firmly.

"Hmph," she huffs and runs to the couch.

"It won't take me that long…" Bella starts.

"No," I shake my head.

Bella is the biggest badass I know. However, she can't say no to her kids. It seems like she overcompensates for her parent's attitude towards her by doing whatever she can to make them happy. While I see she's trying to do well by the kids, I can also see that she spoils them too much. I don't want it to bite us on the ass later on.

"It's just a cupcake," Bella pouts. "She's only four. She's a little girl."

"Now, it is just a cupcake," I warn her. "Next, it's a tongue ring and a pet giraffe."

"I love it when you're stern," she blushes. "Dinner is ready," she announces and the kids start running in.

"What's that?" I ask EJ, pointing to his tablet.

"Nothing," he replied a little too quickly.

"Sure?" I take it from him to find an Excel spreadsheet. "What?" I chuckle, showing Bella.

"I just wanted to see what it was," EJ looks around.

"After dinner," I put it away.

Bella sits in my lap as we eat dinner. We feed each other as the kids go on about their day. We were subjected to watching Transformers for the 12th time. It was EJ's turn to pick a movie.

"Tomorrow is Valentine's Day," I nuzzle my face in her neck.

"It sure is," she feeds me a grape. "I have something planned for you," she whispers and bites my ear.

"Ew," the kids shiver in unison.

"I'm scarred for life because of that," EJ shakes his head at us. "You're gross," he licks icing off of his fingers.

"We're sorry," Bella makes a funny face at him.

"They're pretty," Carlie looks at us with dreamy eyes.

"Women," EJ scoffs.

"Men," Carlie repeats her brother's sentiment.

"It's bedtime," I pop up.

After every conceivable stalling attempt known to man the kids are in bed.

"Do you hear that?" Bella asks from the bathroom.

"No," I listen harder. "I don't hear anything."

"Exactly," she steps out in a dark blue sheer baby doll. I didn't think it was possible for her figure to get any better than when I married her. However, she gained more curves during her pregnancies and…damn if she wasn't unstoppable now. My dick gets hard on sight. We've been married eight years and the sight of my wife still gives me wood. "Silence," she walks slowly to the bed.

"What can we do?" I attempt to sound sexy. It fails miserably when she palms my crotch. I squealed a little bit.

"I have an idea," she straddles my waist and I grab her hair to pull her lips to mine. I revel in the taste of her strawberry lips and the feel of her hands as they felt over me. "How do you want me?" she whispered in my ear, her hands sliding down my boxers off. I'm speechless.

"Uh…" I mumble, as her lips kiss down my chest to my stomach. "I…uh…"

"Use your words," she makes fun of me, her hands running down my sides. She loves the effect she has on me. "Tell me what you want."

"U-u-uh…"

"C'mon," she goads me and licks my abs.

I still couldn't believe that Bella wanted me this way but in times like this…when it was like she had to have me…it made me feel like the sexiest man on the planet. I enjoyed every second of it. My cock throbs harder as she approaches where I need her the most.

"Tell me," she commands, stroking my…

"Mom."

"Dad."

A soft knock on the door stops Bella in her tracks. Shit.

"Shit," she whispers. "Yes?" she answers, grabbing a shirt from her drawer.

And… sexy time is dead.

"What is it?" I ask, putting my underwear and pajama pants back on.

"Carlie is scared," EJ says through the door.

"Shut up, EJ," my daughter tells her brother. "You're scared too!"

I open the door and see the kids holding hands. EJ has his pillow tucked under one arm and his 'security' blanket tucked under the other. Carlie hugs her teddy bear _Professor Fluff_ close to her chest.

"There was something under my bed so I went to sleep in EJ's room," Carlie excuses walking past me into the room.

"It followed her into _my_ room," EJ stares at his sister and follows her onto the bed. "Now, there are strange sounds coming from my closet."

"I said I was sorry," Carlie cries at her brother.

"Okay," Bella hugs them to her chest. "Come on," she pouts at me, as they settle in. I can see the disappointment in her face.

You and me both.

"Goodnight," I kiss their heads and turn the lamp off.

"Can you leave the light on?" they ask in unison.

"Sure," Bella giggles and turns her lamp back on.

We look at each other and shake our heads. The kids are between us so I can't even cop a feel. I want to cry. Carlie is going through her 'I'm scared of the dark' phase. This means sleeping with Bella and me at least twice a week. When you're as horny as Bella and I am it can be a problem. I talked to my father about it. He looked at me and laughed. Apparently, I was the worst cock blocker of my siblings. He called it karma and went back to eating his sandwich.

I love my kids. I just love having sex with my wife too.

The kids are out like lights within five minutes.

"I'm sorry," Bella whispers to me from across the bed, covering EJ's ears with her hands.

"Not as much as I am," I whimper, covering Carlie's ears. "I really wanted you tonight," I try not to cry.

She had on the sexiest lingerie…

"But they're so cute," she gives me that perfect pout and kisses EJ's forehead.

"Yeah," I look down at them and smile. Carlie is snoring and EJ's mouth is wide open. Their limbs are flung across each other. "I guess," I shrug as a joke.

"Shut up," Bella swings her leg over to kick me. "In the next 5 years, EJ won't want to be seen with us in public," she informs me. "Enjoy it while you can."

"I know. I just really wanted to have sex with you," I whimper again.

"I'll more than make up for it tomorrow," she gives me a sultry look. "I have a surprise for you. It's been torture not to spoil it for you."

"What is it?" I ask, trying to scoot forward.

"No," she shakes her head. "You'll have to wait."

"Hint?"

"You'll figure it out," she refuses.

"Please?"

"No."

"Damn," I whisper.

"Go to sleep," she squints her eyes at me playfully.

"I love you Bella Cullen," I smile at her.

"I love you too," she blows me a kiss.

"Love you too…Daddy," Carlie says sleepily and cuddles into me. I close my eyes and feel the bed shift slightly before my daughter kisses my nose. My heart swells at her affection.

I guess letting them sleep with us wasn't so bad.

The sun shines through the window waking me. I roll over to see it's 11 in the morning. Luckily, I was able to get the day off. I wanted to romance Bella today. She's at home with the kids all the time. I like doing sweet and sexy things for her. Unfortunately, I was behind schedule because I overslept. I head downstairs and I'm greeted with the sight of Bella making breakfast in her bra and panties…her black lace bra and panties.

How did I get so lucky?

I sneak across the room and grab her from behind.

"Happy Valentine's Day," I wrap my arms around her.

"Happy Valentine's Day," she smiles, twisting her arm around my neck from the front to kiss me. "I made breakfast," she hands me a plate.

"No," I put the plate on the counter and lifted her onto the table. "I'm not hungry…for food anyway."

The sight of my wife practically naked made me hungry for something else entirely.

"What are you in the mood for then?" she asks coyly, leaning her elbows on the table.

"I have an idea," I kiss the inside of her thigh and take her panties off.

"Well you…" my fingers stroking her core stops her mid-sentence. "Shit," she whispers, as my tongue moves its way to her clit. "Edw-"

"Hmm?" I hum in question against her and she cries out again. She loves that. I smile against her, adding another finger. Her hand fists itself in my hair to massage my scalp. I growl louder, my fingers and tongue move faster and more aggressive. She's fucking my face. Her legs start to quiver. I pin them down so she can't move. She's at my mercy.

I love it.

I love how wet I make her.

I love how she moans when I fuck her with my tongue.

I love it when she yanks my hair so hard I feel like she's going to pull it out.

I love that I'm the only man that has ever been with her this way.

Most of all, I love it when she orgasms.

"Oh God!" she yells as her walls start clenching around my fingers. "Fuck!" her hands bang the table.

I grab her waist and pull her to the edge of the table. Her small hands move to pull down my pants and my boxers. She lifts her legs on my shoulders as I line my cock to her entrance. She's so wet I slide in to her with little force. Our breath catches and we look into each other's eyes. I crash my lips to hers and our lips and tongues moving together in harmony.

"Shit," I hiss, as I start pounding into her.

"Uh…uh…uh," she pants into my ear with every thrust.

I kiss down her neck to her chest. I yank her bra down to reveal her breast. Her back arches as I take her peak into my mouth.

"Perfect," I whisper, my head falling onto her chest.

"Yes!" one leg moves around my waist. "Right here! Right there!" she cries, her hips moving frantically against mine. "Yes," her head throws back and I kiss her again.

"I…I…I," I struggle to speak. It's "so good…so…uh…" I stammer.

"Edward!" she cries, giving me her second orgasm of the day and triggering my own.

"I…love…you," I tell her.

"I love you too," she wipes the sweat off my face. "That was amazing," she smiles, lying on the table.

"You looked too good not to eat," I bite her nipple.

"Wow," she smiles, kissing me.

The sound of the doorbell ringing pulls us back down to Earth.

"I'll get it," I pull my pants up and answer the door.

Snooki runs past me down the hallway. I assume it is to reach the door first. However, she runs head first into the door instead. She's 13 years old which makes her a senior citizen in dog years. She's partially blind now. This just gives Bella and Carlie an excuse to carry her everywhere.

I smile as I sign for the first part of Bella's Valentine's Day extravaganza gets here.

"You still need to eat," I hear Bella tell me as she puts on her underwear.

"Okay," I shrug, handing her flowers.

"Edward!" she cries, jumping and clapping.

Did I mention she hasn't put on her bra yet?

"This is so sweet," she takes the very large, very expensive, bouquet of exotic flowers and places them on the counter. "Thank you," she smiles, hugging me.

"That's all I want," I kiss her head.

"Are you talking about my happiness or my bare chest hugging yours?" she asks flatly.

"Both, of course," I answer.

"Dork," she pushes me away and smells her flowers. "They're beautiful," she smiles at me.

"Not half as beautiful as you," I tell her.

"Cheese," she playfully rolls her eyes. "Sit!" she pats the couch. "Let me feed you."

I give her my shirt and we eat breakfast together on the couch. We watch _Terms of Endearment_. Well, Bella watched it and I felt her up the whole time. I smiled every time Bella went to the kitchen to 'check on something'. We both know she was in there staring at her flowers and smelling them. If she were the one to gloat, they'd be on Instagram by now.

I give my trademark smirk at Bella's confused face when the doorbell rings again.

"Who is that?" she asks, opening the door.

"Part two of your gift," I announce, letting the workers in.

"Hello," a woman in a white polo and khakis smiles at us. "We're here for your couples at home spa treatment."

"We didn't…"

"I did," I smile hugging my wife from behind.

"Edward," she hangs her head. "This is too much. I don't need this."

"Nothing is too much for my Fairy Princess," I argue. She blushes. She can't resist me when I call her my Fairy Princess. "Let me do this."

"But…"

"No buts," I hand her a white terry cloth robe. "Relax."

"Is there anything I can get you?" Marilyn, a masseuse looks me up and down.

Did she look her lips?

"Um…" it's awkward.

"If you get on the table, I'll take good care of you," she smiles again, emphasizing the word good.

"I'd like someone who won't ogle my husband in front of me," Bella stands in front of me. "Since you're taking requests," she bites. She's getting mad. The vein around her eye is making an appearance.

Sexy.

"Mrs. Cullen, I didn't mean any disrespect. I was just…"

"You're hitting on my husband in front of me…after he paid for a couple's…Valentine's Day package?" she informs her. "I'm not supposed to be disrespected? Seriously?"

I put my arms down and try to hide how hard I'm getting. Most men would be embarrassed at how their wife acted. Bella will never have an idea of how sexy I find it when she gets all territorial around me.

"I just wanted…"

"I know what you wanted," my wife raises an eyebrow.

"Marilyn?" a muscular man huffs. "Wait in the car."

"But…"

"It'll only be an hour," he dismisses his employee.

"She sure has him on a short leash," I hear her whisper to a red head as she goes out the door.

"Just how I like it," I chuckle loud enough so she can hear.

"Damn right," Bella laughs with me.

Bella enjoyed the massage more than I did. Henry was a little too rough for my taste. Bella got the woman masseuse. There was no way I was going to let some random guy feel on my wife. It felt weird. I don't think it's natural to let a man rub your back like that. I only lasted 10 minutes before I tapped out.

"This is amazing," Bella moans, causing me to look up from my Sudoku puzzle.

"I'm glad you like it," I say as Bella's cell phone starts to buzz.

"Who is that?"

"It's EJ's school," I show her the caller I.D. before I answer.

"Put it on speaker," Bella tells me.

"Hello?" I ask.

"Mrs. Cullen?" the woman asks.

"Yes," Bella replies, tilting her head up.

"This is Dr. Lockhard," she states apprehensively.

"Huh?" I ask.

Dr. Lockhard was the headmaster of EJ's school. It was weird she was calling and not a teacher.

"Is something wrong?" Bella asks worried.

"Uh…yeah," she answers, her tone undecipherable. "There has been an incident…"

"I'montheway," Bella jumps up, covering her chest. "Oh God," Bella whimpers, grabs the sheet to wrap herself and runs upstairs.

"Is he okay?"

"Yes," she answers.

"We'll be there in a minute," I rush off the phone.

I pay the crew and follow Bella upstairs. She's running around in sweats and a tank top.

"Get ready," she tosses a pair of jeans at me. "EJ is in…"

"He's fine," I hug her. "He's not hurt."

"But…"

"Calm down," I peck her cheek and put on my clothes.

"Is it that Trevor asshole again?" she asks, hopping into the car. "I'll wring his fucking neck!"

EJ has had some issues with bullies this year. They like to pick on him because he's the smartest kid in his class. Unlike me at that age, he fights back. He's got too much Swan in him not to. Last month, he got into a fight and came home with a busted lip. Trevor Goode, a third grader, has been a particular thorn in my son's side. He bullies all the kids in the lower grades.

"I'm sure…"

"I mean he terrorizes all the kids and when EJ stands up to him…_he's_ the one that gets in trouble," Bella seethes. "That little shit needs to know that when you act like an asshole it gives people the right to fuck you up."

"Dr. Lockhard told me EJ was fine," I try to calm her down.

"I'll be the judge of that," Bella crosses her arms. "I don't give a shit what the law says. If I see him try any of the 'bully' shit with EJ I'll fuck him up. I don't care how old he is."

"I'll lie to the cops for you," I hold her hand as we park the car.

Before I can put the car in park Bella sprints into the building. I follow suit and go to the Headmaster's office. Imagine my surprise when I saw Victoria there.

"Hey, Vic," I hug her and kiss her newborn son's forehead. "How's it going?"

"Fine," she sighs, shaking a toy in front of the stroller holding the baby boy.

"He's so precious," Bella coos, taking the boy from the stroller and placing him on her hip. "How is James?"

Victoria and James got married around a year after Bella and I did. Of course, it was an insanely ostentatious ceremony only someone like Victoria and Alice could plan. It was in every major newspaper in the country. Renee' gave Victoria a three page spread in an issue of Vogue.

Their marriage lasted a year and a half.

During that year, Victoria has a beautiful blonde haired, smart ass, little boy named Patrick. He's in kindergarten. He's in trouble so much; Victoria paid to have a special parking space put in the parking lot for her.

"Still a psychotic asshole," she smiles. "Are you coming to the wedding?"

"Of course," I laugh at her.

A little after Patrick was born, Victoria caught James fucking the nanny. The nanny. Really. Anyway, Victoria got pissed and fucked James' cousin. They divorced. They were planning Patrick's 4th birthday together and ended up having sex in a bouncy house. It reignited the flame in their relationship so much that two weeks later James pulled Victoria's date out of his car door and beat him up. It was a big mess. Then, Victoria got pregnant again.

And they're getting married…again.

Lord, help us all.

"What are you in for?" Bella asks, kissing Jeremy's cheek.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Vic bangs her head on the wall.

"The headmaster will see you now," Linda, the secretary opens the door for us.

"Which one?"

"Both of you," she smiles awkwardly.

Shit.

The office is as grandiose as and office of a princ…headmaster of one of the most exclusive prep schools in the country can get. There is a large mahogany desk sitting in front of a window with an excellent view of the forest in the background. There are three large leather chairs sitting in front of the desk. I look to the bench by the wall and see my son. He's scared shitless.

"What did you do?" Victoria asks Patrick who is eating a chocolate bar.

"Nothing too bad," he replies, licking chocolate off his fingers.

"EJ?" Bella questions, sitting down. He just looks down at his feet.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, Ms. Greene," Dr. Lockhard smiles at us. "Welcome."

"Thank you," we all say in a flat tone.

"First, I'd like to thank you for the beyond _generous_ donation to the scholarship fund," she looks to Bella and me.

Bella spearheaded a scholarship fund to give talented, underprivileged children an opportunity to attend St. Vincent's. It even provided the children with transportation to and from school and various school events.

"Anything for the kids," Bella smiles, and looks at EJ who suddenly finds the floor interesting.

"It's been a really nice oppor…"

"Cut the crap," Vic huffs. "What's the problem?"

"Are you aware of the Healthy Child Initiative?" the headmaster asks.

"Of course," I nod my head.

The state passed a law that banned schools from selling junk food and soft drinks to children. They did so in hopes of combating childhood obesity…as opposed to having _real_ P.E. and healthier lunch food.

Politics.

"Well…" Dr. Lockard gets up from her chair and takes out a huge duffle bag. "This is awkward," she finishes, as every type of candy imaginable spills out from the bag. Hard candy. Gummy candy. Lollipops. Chocolate. Pixie sticks. It was all there.

"And…" she leads off with yet another duffle bag. "This," she takes out cans of various sodas and Capri Suns.

"Oh shit," Bella whispers, running her hand across the mountain of sugar.

"We have reason to believe that EJ and Patrick were selling candy on school grounds for money," Lockhard sits down to look at us.

"Allegedly," Patrick chimes in, crossing his arms.

"Quiet," Victoria points at her son.

"How do you know EJ had anything to do with this?" Bella asks, staring at our son.

"Oh dear," the headmaster takes the Louis Vuitton backpack Alice got EJ for his birthday and dumps out a rather large wad of money on top of the candy mountain. It's not just one dollar bills. You've got 5's, 10's, and 20's in there too.

"Is that a roll of quarters?" Bella asks.

"So he could make change," the teacher sighs. "That's five hundred dollars."

"That's not ours!" Patrick denies.

"Shut up," EJ whispers to his friend, and elbows him in the chest.

"I…don't know what to say," I facepalm myself.

My son started a candy smuggling ring. What the fuck?

"Wow," Victoria bangs her head on the table.

"Okay," Bella starts. "EJ and Patrick are very precocious young boys. I'm sure they didn't know…"

Before Bella can finish her statement, a price list is added to the mountain of evidence. It's laminated. Today, there was a Valentine's Day 2 for 1 special until after recess.

"EJ," Bella gives our son the universal 'I'm so disappointed in you' look. He throws his head in his hands and starts to cry.

"Way to confess, EJ," Patrick pouts at his friend.

"I've decided on a way to handle this," Lockhard tells us. "I'm going to redistribute the money back to the students and EJ and Patrick are suspended for a week."

"A week?" the parents question in unison.

"Cool!" Patrick shrugs eating a lollipop.

"A week!" EJ cries out. "I'm gonna miss the Valentine's party," he whines.

"Come on," I take EJ's hand.

"Daddy," he stops walking. "Can I go to the party?"

"No," I refuse.

This kid was so grounded. He didn't even know it.

"Just for a little while? Please?" he begs.

"I'm so disappointed in you," Bella shakes her head at him. "I can't believe this."

"See you guys later!" Patrick waves at us as Victoria drags him into the parking lot.

After grounding EJ until puberty, we picked Carlie up from preschool. She went on and on about her day while EJ pouted next to her.

"Look!" Carlie empties her bag on the floor. "I got all these valentines," she smiles.

It didn't escape me that 80 percent of them were from boys.

"This one was from Roger. This was from Danny. This one is pretty. It's from Quentin," she brags, telling me all of her admirers.

"You're a popular one," Bella smiles at her. "It's because you're so smart and pretty," she hugs her.

"Mhm," I stare at the valentine cards. Maybe if I stare long and hard enough they'll catch on fire.

My little girl.

Mine.

"Shhh," Bella takes my face in her hands. "They're pre-written cards. They're all the same."

"It's okay, Daddy," Carlie kisses me. "You're still my valentine."

My heart swelled. Hopefully, she won't date until I'm dead.

"Okay," she raises an eyebrow. "I have no clue what possessed EJ to start a candy cartel," she sits on the couch.

"How did he get all of that candy?" I ask. "We would have seen it."

It must have taken bags and bags of candy to make up that stash. That's some serious coin. Who would…

In the middle of my thought, I felt Bella's body go rigid. We looked at each other and a spark of realization hits us.

"Charlie," we say at the same time.

"Son of a bitch," she grabs her phone and angrily dials her father's number and puts him on speaker.

I'm happy to say that over the past few years Bella and Charlie's relationship has gotten a lot better. He's still a busy man but he makes more time for her. He is an important figure in EJ and Carlie's life. They love it when he comes around. It's mostly because he gives them expensive gifts and takes their side in everything. I can't say the same thing about Renee'. Once she found out Bella eloped in Vegas all Hell broke loose. They haven't said much to each other since.

"Yeah," my father in law answers the phone. "What is it?"

"How much money did you give EJ to start his candy business?" Bella questions.

"A hundred," he answers. "Why?"

"Dad! How could you?" Bella asks.

"He came to me with a sound business plan two months ago," he excuses. "I wasn't going to keep him from an opportunity. It was only a hundred bucks. Why stifle his creativity? He wants to sell candy. Big deal," he laughs at us. "It's candy not crack."

"He's been doing this for two months?" I ask in disbelief.

There is more money. I'm sure of it.

"It's illegal to sell candy to children in school in the state," I deadpan.

"Oh," Charlie says quickly.

"Still a good idea?" Bella asks, causing a long silence.

"Wow," he breaks the silence by chuckling. "It must have been like opening a lemonade stand in the desert."

"Dad!"

"It's funny," he laughs harder. "How much did he…"

"I can't believe him," she huffs, hanging up on her father.

I understand Bella's frustration. However, part of me is amazed that a 7 year old started a candy cartel and got away with it for two months.

I'm a little proud.

"Can we have pizza for dinner?" Carlie jumps in between us on the couch and climbs in my lap. "Please, Daddy?"

"Ask Nana and Pop Pop when they get here," I tell them. "You're spending the night at their house."

"Really?" my daughter's eyes light up. She loves spending the night at my parent's house. I don't have any proof but I'm sure their bedtime is non-existent there. "Yay!" she shouts running upstairs. "EJ! We get to say over Nana and Pop Pop's house," I hear her little voice carry away.

"I asked my parents last week if they wouldn't mind," I whisper in Bella's ear. "That way, we can be as loud as we want," I nibble on her ear.

"I feel sorry for our neighbors," She gropes my junk.

"About this surprise…"

"Nope," she shakes her head and her phone rings. "It's probably Dad," she answers without looking. "Yeah," she smiles. She mouths that it's Victoria. They're going to be a minute so I go to the kitchen to get a bottled water.

I walk in and Bella is putting her shoes on and giving me an apologetic face.

"The James and Victoria saga continues," she sighs at me. "He said something about not giving a shit about…something," she puts on a hoodie. "I'm going to assess the damage. I'll be back in an hour."

Someone could write a New York Times best-selling book series about the exploits of those two nut jobs.

"I'll get the kids ready," I kiss her and smack her ass as she walks out the door.

"Guys," I walk upstairs. "It's time to get ready from Nana and Pop…"

"EJ is sad," Carlie informs me.

"He got in trouble at school today," I ruffle her hair today. "He's on punishment."

"He's really sad," she elaborates. "I tried letting him use Professor Fluff but that didn't even help," she says worried, shaking the stuffed toy at me for emphasis.

Carlie idolizes her big brother. She hates it when he gets in trouble.

"I'm okay," EJ somberly speaks from his room.

"He's not," Carlie shakes her head. "Daddy," she pushes me into her brother's room. "Make it better," she orders. She closes the door behind me.

"Hi," he whispers to me in the dark.

"You know why we punished you," I turn the light on.

"I know," he sighs. "I was bad. I deserved it," he flips over. "I didn't expect it to get that bad."

"Why?" I sit down on the bed.

"First, the candy was just for me and Mel…Patrick," he corrects himself.

Who's Mel…

"Who else?" I ask, smiling. I had a feeling it was a girl.

"Da-ad."

"Who else?" I nudge his side. "Is it a girl?"

"You'll make fun of me," he huffs and puts his face in his pillow.

"No, I won't," I tickle him.

"You're doing it right now," he mumbles.

"Tell me," I stop.

"Her name is Melanie," he informs. "During recess, we would share candy and play together …before they stopped selling it. I started taking candy because I knew she liked it. Then, people wanted to buy it from me. It escalated quickly. So I got the start-up money from Papa Charlie. I didn't mean for it to get that bad. Honest," he hugs me.

He did it for love. He's a man after my own heart.

"You could have told us," I say. "We would have invited Melanie over and you could have played video games or something."

"Hindsight is 20/20," he flops down on the bed. "Now, I can't give her the card."

"What card?"

"This one," he shows me a homemade Valentine's card. It's pink with a red heart on the center and it's covered in silver, red, and pink glitter. It says 'Happy Valentine's Day Melanie (from Edward)' on it. It might be the most adorable thing ever.

"This is nice," I compliment, as I try to open it.

"No!" he stops my hand. "Don't open it," he takes it back.

"You can give it to her when you get back," I put the card in an envelope.

"It won't be Valentine's Day then," he pouts. "It's pointless."

"She'll know…"

"She won't," he shakes his head. "It won't be the same," he looks at the envelope on his bedside table. "Will you take me to give it to her?" he asks, his green eyes shining at me.

"EJ…"

"Please," he begs me. "I'll still be on punishment."

"Come on, Daddy," Carlie and Snooki bursts through the door. Snooki rams into the bedpost. "I won't tell."

"Please," they say in unison, two sets of green eyes shining up at me.

Damn it.

Who am I to get in the way of young love?

"One condition," I start to cave. "You fork over the rest of the money you made."

"Not my nest egg," EJ cries.

"Fine," I get up.

"Fine," he huffs and goes under his bed and gives me two old lunchboxes. They're full of money.

Damn. Bella is gonna have a shit fit.

"Pack your bag first."

"Yay!" Carlie hugs my leg. "I have to get ready."

I thought she was ready.

Carlie comes out in a red tunic shirt, white pants, pink flats and a giant silver bow in her hair. EJ chose a simple white polo and khakis.

"Quick!" EJ grabs the envelope and the contact information sheet. "We have to get back before Mom gets home."

"This is so exciting," Carlie beams, putting her seatbelt on.

"You sure?" I ask, plugging the address into the GPS in the car.

"Mhm," he smiles, clutching the card to his chest.

Melanie's house was only a 15 minute drive. It seems like someone was having a party because it was near impossible to park. Eventually, we find a space down the street.

"This is so cool," Carlie skips down the street. "Can we stop and get cupcakes on the way home? I want…"

"Ahhhh!" EJ screams, and sprints down the street to the car.

He could run track.

"Son," I call after him. He's desperately trying to open the door to the car.

"Bad idea. Bad idea. This was a horrible idea," he rushes out.

"Come on, buddy," I stop his hand. "We drove all this way. It was your idea."

"Why did you let us talk you into this?" he tries to open the car. "I'm 7. You're 31. You should know better," he reasons. "Open the door," he begs.

"No," I lift him up and place him back on the sidewalk.

I wouldn't let him back out. I wanted my children to live their lives knowing they took advantage of every opportunity they had. I didn't want them to be afraid. This girl was lucky EJ liked her.

"What if she doesn't like me back?" he asks, looking at the cars pass by.

"EJ, you're a handsome, kind, loving, and smart little boy," I hug him. "Any girl would be lucky to have you."

"If she's mean to you I'll beat her up," Carlie tells her brother.

"She's gonna be so happy," I kiss the top of his head. "She'll love it."

"O-Okay," he adjusts his shirt and holds my hand.

We walk in silence until we reach the girl's house. It resembles a New York brownstone with ivy growing up the front and sides. We stop at the steps and I usher my son forward.

"Go on," I gently push him up the steps and walk back to the sidewalk.

"Go, EJ!" Carlie cheers for her brother.

EJ straightens his clothes one more time and rings the doorbell.

"Dad," he sighs.

"Oh," I turn around and Carlie follows my lead.

"H-hello, Mrs. Dawson. My name is Edward Cullen Jr. I go to Melanie's school. I-is she home?"

"Okay," I hear the sound of a woman who must be Melanie's mother. "Mel! Someone is at the door for you."

"Hi, Edward," I hear a girl's voice. I tilt my head to the side and notice a cute blonde haired girl with her hair in pigtails answer the door.

"Hey, Mel," he rushes. "I…uh…made you a Valentine's Day card," he smiles, giving her the envelope.

"Really? I made you one too," she smiles, taking a big card from behind her back.

I do a mental cheer for my boy. I knew she liked him back.

"Here," he hands the girl her card. "Open it."

I take the opportunity to turn around to get a better view. Melanie opens the card and it explodes with glitter and a heart pops up.

That's why he didn't let me open it. He's a creative guy.

"Wow!" she cries. "I LOVE glitter," she jumps up and down and hugs EJ.

"I know," my son smiles.

"Thank you," she gives him a large red card with a teddy bear on it.

"You're welcome," he opens it up.

They stare at each other for a couple of minutes.

"Well…" EJ looks around. "Bye," he smiles and gives her a Twix bar.

"Bye," she grins and hands him a giant Hershey's kiss.

"I'll see you when I get back to school," he waves.

"Okay," she hugs him and goes back inside her house.

EJ turns around and beams. I've never seen him smile so big. He walks down the stairs with a little pep in his step.

"Success," he whispers, giving me a high five.

"See?" I nudge his shoulder. "I told you it would turn out okay."

"EJ has a girlfriend. EJ has a girlfriend," Carlie starts to tease.

"Shut up!"

"I don't think I will," she replies, skipping to the car singing her new favorite song.

"EJ!" Melanie runs after him.

"Huh?" he asks, right before Mel plans a kiss on his cheek. His jaw drops open.

"Bye," she waves and runs back up the street.

He smiles the entire ride home. He touches his cheek every now and then to make sure it still happened. I shake my head in pride. My son has better game than I do.

We get back home with 10 minutes to spare. Just as the kids are getting back from the restroom, Bella and my parents walk through the door.

"They were making up by the time I got there," Bella tells me. "Then, Victoria held me hostage and made me brainstorm color palettes for the wedding," she wraps her arms around me. "I'm so glad we borderline eloped. I hate color schemes and china patterns."

"Not half as much as I do," I disagree. She didn't grow up with Alice.

"Hello, my beautiful daughter," Mom hugs Bella.

"Hey, Mom," Bella grins.

Since meeting Bella, my mom has acted as a surrogate mother of sorts to Bella. They've gotten so close over the years. She likes her more than me.

"Is he treating you okay?" Mom points to me. "I'll kick his ass," she hisses at me and ruffles my hair.

"He's okay," Bella laughs. "Thank you guys for doing this."

"It's okay," Dad comes in, eating a leftover red velvet cupcake. "I made your mother scream last night," he jokes, biting Mom's cheek.

"Ew!" I shiver. Bella shoves me.

That's just nasty. Since they're getting older my parents are starting to get where they don't care if they disgust you with their PDA. It's sweet to be in your sixties and still have sex. I just don't want to hear about it every time I talk to them.

"Yes," Mom gives my father a look. "Every day with your father is Valentine's Day," she says.

"Did you hear about Heidi?" Dad asks Bella.

"No. Why?"

"She's up for parole," Mom informs, as the kids rush down the stairs.

"WHAT?!" I shout out in anger. "Are you serious?"

Once the police and Charlie's investigators looked over our house after Bella's release, it was pretty easy to see that Heidi was behind poisoning Bella. Plus, Alec sang like a bird when he was questioned. He didn't take too kindly to his wife confessing her unrequited love for my father in front of him. The average sentence for attempted murder is 20 years. Heidi used whatever money she had and her lawyers somehow talked the jury into giving her 12 instead. Apparently, it was impossible to truly tell that Heidi was trying to _kill_ Bella. They said it was a prank gone wrong. They discredited Alec's testimony saying he was just mad he found out Heidi was in love with Dad. So she got a lighter sentence. I don't give a shit if it was a prank or not. Bella almost died.

Who in the hell put that crazy bitch up for parole?

"She served half of her sentence with good behavior and has been seeing a therapist for the past five years or so," Dad sighs. "That's what I've heard."

"8 is a lot less than 12," Bella points out.

"Overcrowding, I guess," Dad sighs.

"You might be contacted to come to the parole hearing," Mom tells us.

"No way in Hell," Bella gripes.

"Mom!" the kids gasp.

"Sorry," she kisses their heads. "No," she tells my parents.

"That entire family is one big parasite," Dad rolls his eyes. "I don't know why we were friends with them for so long."

"You're very loyal," Mom guesses.

People found out about their whole scheme and they were blackmailed from most high society circles. Once his business went belly up, Alec started over completely. He divorced Heidi, married his assistant and started another company. He moved to Dallas. He's successful but nowhere near as rich as before. Irina went to Europe and never came back. Last I heard about Tanya, she was some investment banker's mistress in New York. I shook my head at the news. Some people land on their feet. In Tanya's case, she landed on her back.

I chuckle at my wit.

Kate married a pretty famous music producer. His name is Garrett…something. Anyway, their living in tattooed and pierced harmony in L.A. Naturally, Kate's sisters tried to take advantage of her good fortune. She told them to fuck themselves. I guess them treating her like shit all their lives came back to haunt them.

"Can we have pizza at your house?" EJ asks.

"Please?" she hugs Dad's leg.

"Ah…okay," Dad chuckles at the hopeful expression on their faces.

"Chocolate cupcakes?" Carlie asks for the third time in 24 hours.

"Maybe," Mom ruffles her hair and takes them out to the car.

And then there were two.

Finally.

"All alone," Bella stalks toward me.

"Yes," I breathe a sigh of relief.

"I have another surprise for you," I say, leading her into the den.

"I can't take any more surprises," she smiles at me.

"You'll like this one," I hand her the book.

"What is it?" she playfully rolls her eyes. "Edward," she looks at me with watery eyes.

It was the fairy tale I made her all those years ago. Sometimes the kids like to hear it as their bedtime story. I noticed it was starting to look tattered so I got an artist to illustrate it and bind it. It was now in a dark brown leather book with gold lined pages. It had _The_ _Prince and the Fairy _on the front in elaborate gold font.

I sit her on my lap and read her our story again. She runs her fingers along the vibrant colors on the page and kisses me. I gave the artists a picture of us so the prince and the fairy look like us. On the last page, it's a portrait of our family _with 'And the lived happily ever'_ after on it.

Bella lost her shit…in a good way.

"This is the best gift anyone has ever gotten me," she cries, hugging me. "I love you."

"I love you too," I wipe her tears away and kiss her. "So much."

She sits in my lap and I read the book to her again. We take breaks to kiss in between.

My wife is an excellent kisser.

"One more surprise," I remind her.

"Really?" she laughs at me. "You spoil me."

"You deserve it," I reply. "Dinner in two hours," I kiss her temple.

"Shit," she jumps up. "I should go shower. I've been up and running all day," she says.

"Alright," I follow her and pick out something to wear. I settle on a nice blue suit and tie. I'm still relatively fresh from this afternoon so I sit on the couch and wait for Bella to get ready.

"Edward?" she calls from our room.

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen my silver heels?" she asks.

I roll my eyes. She has about 20 pairs of shoes that fit that description.

"Which pair?"

"The ones with the strappy thing on it."

That narrows it down to 12 pairs of shoes that could be.

"Uh…" I try to think. "Nope."

"I think they're in the hallway closet downstairs. Carlie played dress up in my clothes a couple days ago."

I check the closet and find a mountain of Bella's shoes with feather boas and jewelry. When Carlie plays dress up, it's more like a photo shoot. She's going to be a diva when she grows up. I can feel it.

"Found it," I guess. I take a couple up to our room. "I think these are…"

The sight before me renders me completely speechless. My limbs give way and I drop the pile of shoes on the floor and have to clutch the doorframe for support.

"You didn't forget about my surprise did you?" she asks, twirling her long ponytail around her finger.

"You're… You're…"

"Uh huh," she nods her head, grinning at my loss for words.

"It's…the…"

"Yep," she bites her bottom lip.

My wife, my beautiful, sexy, loving, perfect wife… is lying on the bed in an _exact_ replica of Princess Leia's slave costume from Return of the Jedi…complete with ponytail and chain. Oh God. The chain.

"You're…" I try to gather my composure. "

"I'm not really hungry," she twirls the chain around. "Do you wanna stay in and hang out?" she asks.

"Uh..huh…" I walk forward and trip over the seemingly forgotten mountain of shoes.

"Be careful," she cries out to me. "I don't want you to…"

"I'm okay," I complete a sentence and lunge into the bed to ravish her. I think I'll keep the skirt on.

Best Valentine's Day EVER!


	26. Chapter 26

Hey!

The first chapter of Charlie's Daughter is up. Check it out. I know some of you have been waiting a long time for it.


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